New and Improved
by Quill of Caurinus
Summary: Innocent lives lost. A man imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Nobody left to find out the truth. Or so it would seem... Synthetic Saga 6.
1. Left Behind

**Left Behind **

"Hey Jeremy? Jeremy? You missed your cue. Again."

Jeremy Fitzgerald snapped out of his reverie and looked up at his director, hard as it may be with the theatre lighting. She had her arms folded and was tapping her foot impatiently as she watched from the seats.

"Oh right. Sorry about that, Vera!" he said with as much enthusiasm as he could. "You wanna go from there again?"

She sighed. "No, I think that's a call for a small break. Okay, take five everyone. Jeremy, I need to talk to you for a moment."

"Actually, I was gonna-"

"That wasn't a request, Jeremy," she said sternly.

Jeremy bit down a comeback. When Vera got like this, he knew arguing with her was pointless and would only make things worse. He trudged his way downstage, passing a few of his fellow performers. Some looked at him with sympathy, others with exasperation. Jeremy didn't care for either reaction and just ignored them. He'd dealt with it long enough.

He approached Vera, who offered him a seat. He tried another smile but it did nothing to shift her sternness.

"This can't go on, Jeremy. We've had six rehearsals since you came back. When you told me you were good to start again, after what happened five weeks ago, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I know it's been a lot to deal with." She paused, but Jeremy didn't respond. "I've tried to make allowances for you but I can only do so much. You're the only one still on-script, you keep spacing out and missing your cues and you keep snapping at the others. They only want to help."

"I don't need their help," he muttered.

"And there you go again," she sighed. "I understand Jeremy, I really do. But you're clearly not ready to get back into this. I made it clear at the start that I was willing to be flexible if you were willing to do your best but I've not seen any proof of that. We can't just wait for you to catch up, that's not fair on the others. I'm giving your part to Jason."

"What?!" Jeremy stood up in disbelief. "You can't do that! Jason-!"

"Has learned his lines, pays attention to his cues and was already lined up for the part when you came back. He was willing to step aside if it meant it could help you get back into the swing of things but that hasn't happened." She smiled sympathetically. "You can take his place with the backstage crew, you'd still be involved with the show."

"But I want to be up there. I want to be in the show," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. But that's my final word," she said firmly. "Okay, we'll be starting again in a couple of minutes. You can get on with helping backstage but I'd understand if you wanted to head home for now and we'll see you again next week."

Anger still bubbled within Jeremy. He wanted to tell Vera exactly what he thought of her idea. That Jason was in no way suited for the role and this wasn't fair. But it wouldn't do him any good. If he kicked up more of a fuss, Vera just wouldn't let him be involved at all until the next one.

"Yeah, I think I'll just split for today," he said eventually.

"That would be best. I'll see you next week?" she asked.

"Next week, yeah. See you." He went and got his bag before she could say anything else, then left the community centre.

He waited until he was around the corner and out of sight before he furiously kicked a nearby can with a loud yell. Someone looked at him in shock but he didn't care. He just kept on walking, no mind to where he was going.

His rational mind knew Vera was right. He wasn't in any fit state to perform in the show. But he didn't want to listen to his rational side right now. He wanted to indulge in that side of him, that wanted to knock that superior look right off Vera's face. She had no idea what he was dealing with right now, none of them did. They could say 'I'm sorry' and 'we're here for you' all they wanted, but it didn't change a thing. It wouldn't bring Robbie back, nothing would.

The image of his little brother surfaced into his mind. The little self-proclaimed rock star. So convinced of his talent, that one day he was going to make it big. The kind of dream that only a little kid could have or else really deluded or determined guys who still played in basements. But not anymore. He'd never…

He pushed aside those thoughts as best he could, but they were always there. Lingering.

Jeremy wasn't sure what to do now. He could go home. But his mom wouldn't be back yet and he'd be alone. It meant trying his best to ignore the one room in their home that would remain forever empty. Then he would go in there anyway and all those feelings would surface again. It was only when he looked up that he realised where he'd arrived at.

Freddy's. The place was dead now, utterly devoid of life. The lights were dark, the parking lot was empty and a big sign announced that it was closed until further notice. Remnants of police tape, caught in the doors, flickered in the breeze. Graffiti was already coating the walls and at least one of the windows was broken. Once, he'd loved this place, even managed to get a job there. But now, it represented everything that had been taken from him.

That anger came back again. He snatched up a nearby rock, prepared to throw it at one of the windows. But he stopped mid-swing. His eyes lingered on one of the old posters, one that depicted Freddy and the band, smiling joyfully away. He stayed frozen in position, then slowly let his arm fall to his side and the rock clatter to the ground.

He couldn't. Even after everything, he just couldn't. It took everything he had not to break down right there.

"Jeremy? Hey Jeremy, how're you doing?"

He looked up at the voice. A young woman was gazing at him. Her brown hair hung down her shoulders and her face was set with a genuine smile and kind eyes. It took a moment for Jeremy to place her and he couldn't stop the smile coming to his face either.

"Hey, Susie!" He reached out and shook her hand, which she suddenly turned into a hug. "Whoa hey, it's good to see you too."

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away. "It's just good to see a familiar face."

"Yeah, you're telling me." More quietly, he asked, "How long were you there for?"

"Long enough," she replied. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Thanks." He coughed awkwardly. "So what's new with you?"

"A few things," she said. "I was just on my way home and kind of took a detour. Nice coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Jeremy agreed. They both looked towards the restaurant for a moment before turning back to each other. "So, heading home yeah?"

"I was, but now I've run into you, I think I can spare a few minutes. Come on, there's a place I know. If we're gonna catch up, we may as well do it properly," she said.

Jeremy followed her lead. They ended up in a small café called Silver Spoon. A poster on the door informed Jeremy of an open-mic night on Thursdays, along with movie screenings on certain days. The server addressed Susie by name and prepared her 'usual' while they took a seat.

"Yeah, used to come here a lot. You remember Brad, the other receptionist? He and I used to meet here a few times when we finished work." Her face fell a little. "I haven't seen him for a while."

"You bumped into anyone else who used to work at Freddy's?" asked Jeremy.

"Not really. A lot of them are in other jobs or they left town, like Anita and her family. You know, the waitress who was always on her phone? After what happened to their daughter, they couldn't…" She trailed off and let out a long sigh. "I was hoping to not get on this subject so soon but I guess it kind of crept on us. Sorry."

Jeremy grunted, but didn't reply with anything else. He'd been happy to see Susie, but now he suddenly wanted to stand up and go.

Susie seemed to sense this and quickly changed tack. "So what have you been up to then?"

"Not much. Just doing my theatre stuff, seeing my friends, usual stuff," he shrugged.

"Have you managed to get another job?" she asked.

"Nah, not really looking for work right now," he said. "I'll get on it later but I figure there's not much of a rush right now."

"Oh, I miss those halcyon days when that was a thing," Susie said wistfully. "But sadly, I'm an adult which means I gotta pay bills and taxes and other things adults have to do."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Susie, please. I bet Wendy handles all that stuff."

"Jeremy, how dare you! I am a responsible and capable young woman, thank you!" she said with mock offence. "Even if you are completely right."

"Thought so," he grinned.

"Yeah, she's always good at that sort of…" She trailed off again and quickly plastered on a smile. "But yeah, that's how it is."

They paused while a server brought them their orders and waited until he left.

"Where are you working now then?" he asked.

"Well…" She shifted in her seat and her eyes cast around the room. "It's just another reception desk deal."

"Same old then. Where at?"

Her eyes were now fixed on her drink. When she spoke it was mumbled and Jeremy couldn't make it out.

"Sorry, say that again?"

"Fritz's Family Fun Palace," she said quickly and took a sip from her drink, her eyes downcast.

"You mean the place that took over for Freddy's?" She nodded. "Okay, so what's the problem? Why were you being so cagey about it?"

"It's stupid but… it just feels like I've betrayed, you know, Freddy's. For the place that bought them out. They offered it to pretty much all the old staff and I know you didn't take it, so I thought that you'd think I was-"

"Susie, hey, it's okay. I already said, I'm just not looking for other work right now. But don't need to be ashamed for taking the offer. It's just a job and you gotta be a responsible adult, right?" he said, with a teasing smile.

"At least someone thinks so," she murmured and returned his smile gratefully. "Thanks, Jeremy."

"No problem. What's it like there anyway? I've not been since it opened," he said.

"They do pretty much what Freddy's did, just with a different coat of paint. New name, new robots, bigger place. They've gone for this shiny look for the performers rather than fur like at Freddy's," she explained. "I have to admit, I'm not sold on them."

"How come? I mean, I've seen the posters and they're pretty much the same as the old characters from what I could tell," he said.

"Mostly. They're the same animals but they have different looks and personalities. Like for some reason, the one that's basically Chica is slimmer and has pink booty shorts?" She wrinkled her face in disgust. "Points for female representation. There's also a new one, a little boy robot that makes balloons. It's weird, but I swear that sometimes, he stares at me."

"Maybe you got yourself a little admirer," Jeremy chuckled.

"Maybe I do," she agreed with a laugh. "But they just don't have the same dynamic as the old crew. Their performances felt natural and you could interact with them a lot more. The new ones just feel too scripted and there's not much to be gained from trying to talk to them. They just give generic responses and wander off."

"That kinda sucks. But Freddy's is gone now, we just have to deal with it," he shrugged.

"Yeah, we do." She leaned in a little closer. "I did see, what you were about to do with that rock. I'm glad you didn't do it."

"Doesn't matter," he muttered, folding his arms.

"I still can't believe that it happened. That Mike was the one they locked up for it." She took another sip. "They have his trial set for the end of the week, you know."

"Good," said Jeremy, not liking where this was going. If there was one thing he felt more wound up inside about than Freddy's, it was Mike Schmidt.

She got a little closer again. "Do you think he actually did it?"

"Doesn't matter what I think. He's the one they put away and that's all there is to it," he said as casually as he could.

"I really don't think he did. He couldn't have, that's not the guy I got to know after so-"

"Well maybe he just wasn't the guy you thought you knew," snapped Jeremy. "They caught him, he's gonna be put away and that'll be the end of it."

"You really think that's all there is to it?" Susie said, incredulously. "You really don't think there's a chance they might have the wrong guy?"

"Well what the hell else is there?!" Jeremy didn't realise he was standing until after the words left his mouth. He also realised that everyone in the café was staring at him and that Susie in particular looked quite hurt and shocked. "What?"

"Nothing. You tell me," she replied icily.

Jeremy sighed and took his seat again. "I'm sorry, Susie."

"It's okay. Just remember you're not the only one who had to deal with what happened that day," she said.

She got a look in her eye that Jeremy recognised. It was the same he'd seen in his own when he looked in the mirror. He was about to ask what she meant when someone else came over to their table.

"Hey dudes! What's going on?" A man with long, unkempt and somewhat unwashed hair beamed down at them. "Susie, my favourite lady dude!"

"Brad!" Susie was up and hugging him in an instant. "Oh my god, it's so good to see you!" She gave a good sniff and carefully pulled back from the hug. "How long have you worn that shirt?"

He frowned. "Not sure. What's today?"

"It's Sunday."

"Yeah? No way." He stared off into the middle distance for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, it's probably fine."

"No, it really isn't. Change your shirt when you get home," she instructed.

"Got it. And hey, Jeremy! I thought that was your voice I heard. Put it there, my man!" he said, opening his arms for a hug.

Jeremy exchanged a quick look with Susie and turned it into a double high-five instead. "Good to see you too, Brad. Susie was just telling me that you guys used to come here after work."

"Sure did, dude," he said. "Look at this, a regular Freddy's get-together. Hold on, I'll grab a chair."

Before either of them could say anything, Brad joined them at their table. Jeremy resigned himself to it. Brad was a nice guy, from what he remembered. Even if he acted like he should be riding around in a van, solving mysteries with a talking dog.

"Oh man, those were the days. Working at Freddy's. Man, we were there together for a while, huh?" he said to Jeremy.

"I was there for about a week, Brad," said Jeremy pointedly.

"Oh right, yeah," he said absently. "Yeah but it felt longer, right? 'Cause that's what working at Freddy's is, you know? Like, it feels like you've just been there your whole life, it's that good."

"Uh, Brad?" Susie tried to interject but Jeremy was there first.

"Yeah, it's the best. Especially when you find out what's left of your little brother is in a garbage bag in the backroom," Jeremy said sourly.

"Oh." Brad suddenly looked ashamed. "Dude, I… I'm sorry, I…" He sighed. "I just miss it, man, you know? Nothing against you at all."

"It's fine," Jeremy dismissed, not looking to get into it.

"Nah man, I gotta make it up to you." He thought for a moment. "Look, I'm about to head back to my place. I was gonna get some takeout. How about you guys swing by and join me? It'll be on me."

"You don't have to do that," said Jeremy uncomfortably.

"It's no trouble, dude, really," he said keenly.

"That's nice of you to offer, Brad but Jeremy and I were looking to finish up here and head on home," said Susie.

"Oh, okay then," Brad said disappointedly. "I get that. Just would have been nice, you know? I've not seen, like, anyone since the place shut and it was pretty much all I had in terms of, well, friends."

Brad looked so dejected and forlorn at that moment that he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It appeared to have the same effect on Susie, who immediately placed a hand on his arm and rubbed it comfortingly.

"Hey, it's okay, Brad. You know, I'm actually not in a real rush to get home and it'd be nice to catch up. What do you think, Jeremy?" she asked.

Jeremy's first instinct was to say no, but the state Brad was in combined with the expression on Susie's face was hard to resist. Plus, it meant more time before he had to go home.

"Yeah, sure," he said with a shrug.

"Awesome!" Brad slapped them both on the back. "Let's vamoose then!"

They took a few minutes to finish off their drinks and set off, following Brad. For a man who was usually so vacant, he moved with a certain energy. He also kept looking around and glancing over his shoulder. More than once, he took them down a random alleyway into a different street or stopped to tie his shoelace, though they were obviously done up.

His behaviour didn't go unnoticed by the two with him. At first, they were willing to put it down to being an odd eccentricity but eventually, they started to get more concerned. Jeremy felt he had the air of someone on the run from the law and was wondering if he shouldn't just make an excuse and leave.

At one point, Susie took out her phone and quickly sent a text. She showed it to Jeremy. It let her girlfriend Wendy know who she was with and where she was. He nodded at her smart thinking. Though Brad was an otherwise nice guy, his behaviour was a little concerning. He quickly did the same for his mom and felt a little safer.

Susie was the first to speak up. "Brad, is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, don't sweat it. Just… can't be too careful, you know?" he said with a sudden laugh. "Oh hey, here's my place."

He took them to the entrance of a non-descript apartment block. He opened the door and held it for them, taking one last look down the street before shutting it behind them and leading them upstairs. He unlocked the door to his apartment and ushered them inside.

"Okay, we're good," he sighed with relief.

"Good for what? What was all that back there?" asked Jeremy.

"Like I said, man, can't be too careful. You guys take a seat, I'll be out in a sec," he offered and went to what Jeremy assumed was his room.

They stepped inside the apartment proper. Jeremy took a quick look around and was surprised that the place was surprisingly clean. A rather odd contrast to the man who lived in it. The oddest thing was his custom rigged computer desk and a few odd knick knacks. All looked like they were Freddy Fazbear merchandise, including some old bobble heads and posters.

"He always had a great devotion to Freddy's," explained Susie in a low voice. "Never really knew why, but he did. Or does, really."

"Yeah, no kidding," said Jeremy, examining one of the posters despite himself. "This one's from when the place was still Fredabear's Family Diner."

"Looks like he's not the only one," noted Susie.

"My mom was one of the original customers," he said. "She kind of passed it on to me. Oh hey, I've seen that before!"

Brad had just brought something from his room. It was a very old, mascot suit head. Specifically, one from Fredabear's, depicting the star of the show herself.

"Oh you know it?" said Brad with surprise, as he set it down on the table.

Jeremy nodded. "Last time I saw this thing, it was in the lap of… but yeah, I've seen it before."

If Brad or Susie took note of how he hadn't finished his sentence, they didn't comment on it and again, Jeremy was thankful.

"Okay Brad," said Jeremy, turning away from the suit head, "what's this about?"

"Well uh, I think it's best if I let her explain, dude," he replied, pointing at the head.

"Her?" Susie looked bemused. "Brad, I understand that you have a thing for Freddy's and its history but it's just an empty head."

"I think you may want to re-evaluate that assessment," a new voice said. They both whirled around, looking for its source. "And looks of shock and amazement in three, two, one…"

There was no question. The voice was coming from the suit head. It was a little garbled by static but there was no denying it. The woman speaking reminded Jeremy of one of his old science teachers: self-assured and fiercely intelligent despite her age. Also, a little bit of a show off.

"Hello Jeremy, Susie. I've been looking forward to meeting you. I am the artificial intelligence, Genetic Operations Logistics Diagnostic ENgager. But please, call me Goldie."

* * *

By jove! You boy, what year is it?!

Hey everyone! Long time, no update huh? I am so sorry I left this so long. I won't get into the details but… real life got complicated and I kind of lost my drive to write. But guess what? I got it back! You'll have to bear with me, but I fully intend to see this Saga through to its end and I hope to have you all along for the ride.

Gotta say, it's good to be back!

Be strong, be swift, be just.

Alpha.


	2. Your Mission

**Your Mission**

No one said anything for the longest time after… Goldie's introduction. They both just stared openly at the head that had just spoken to them. Jeremy broke the silence.

"Is this some kind of weird prank?" he asked. "You got this remotely rigged or something?"

"I am not rigged, remotely or otherwise, unlike the Oscars," said Goldie. "I am a fully realised, functional and free-form AI. Once upon a time, I was called Fredabear, but I was upgraded to become the mentor of the performers of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. I'm capable of interacting with any and all electrical devices within my signal range and beyond, if there's a wireless network to travel along. If you'd prefer to speak with something more recognisably human, please turn your attention to the screen next to you."

They did and it flickered to life. On it was a mature woman with a fair deal of muscle, a length of yellow hair going down to her neck and dressed in a golden tuxedo with tails. Jeremy noticed now how the seats were all arranged so they faced the screen, like she was the chair of a meeting.

"O…kay," said Susie carefully. "This… this isn't you, right Brad?"

"I'm not doing anything. That's all her." He was grinning. "Isn't she amazing? Like, she's actually sentient! She learns, thinks and grows! She is just… well, look at her!"

"I know, I'm a wonder," Goldie said smugly. "It's hard being me, it really is."

"And she hasn't decided to nuke everyone on Earth?" asked Jeremy.

"I resent both being referred to in the third person while present and any comparison to those so-called AIs you're accustomed to seeing in media. Except for GLaDOS, she is perfection," she added. "I don't want to destroy mankind or have robots dominate the world or anything like that. Call it a cliché, but I was born to entertain. Any questions so far?"

"Right then." Susie took a seat and looked at her. "So, is this what you, I don't know, really look like? Or is it an avatar?"

"The latter. Very good, Susie," she praised. "The real me is inside that suit head. It houses my AI core, the source of my exquisitely formed mind. Before you ask, it's for both convenience and camouflage. Plus, a dash of nostalgia."

"Oh. Okay then," said Susie. She looked around awkwardly.

"You're both taking this rather well, I have to say," Goldie remarked.

"I just… I don't know what else to think, at the moment," she said.

"And I'm still not completely unconvinced that this is some weird setup," admitted Jeremy. "But I kinda wanna see where this goes."

"You want more proof? Alright then." Jeremy's phone suddenly started to ring. It was a withheld number. He answered it. "Hello, Jeremy. It's me."

"Whoa. Okay then. That's pretty impressive," he admitted.

"I know. If you like, open the hatch at the back of the head."

Jeremy looked at the other two. Brad kept his grin while Susie looked as curious as he felt. Jeremy put the phone down and crossed over to it. He carefully opened the hatch. Contained in the head was some kind of cylinder-shaped device, with a vibrant golden light at its centre. He didn't know what it was, but it looked very advanced.

"Okay, I'm convinced," said Jeremy as he closed it back up. "So next question: what is an advanced AI doing with you, Brad?"

Brad clapped his hands together gleefully. "Well, I got given the old suit parts for Goldie here when she got a new one, back before the restaurant went under. A couple of days later, she suddenly sparks to life. Just little things at first, sending messages on my computer and phone, then before I know it, I got myself a new roommate."

"It was a precautionary measure," explained Goldie. "I had a feeling something bad was coming and I wanted to be certain my core would be secure, in case things got even worse. It turned out it was the right move. The body I was remotely controlling was torn to pieces. As far as they're concerned, they think I'm dead."

"Who are 'they'?" asked Susie. "Is this why you were acting so shifty, Brad? Is she actually some kind of government project?"

"Nothing so dramatic, I'm afraid," Goldie interjected. "The answer to that is a little bit more… complicated. It's a story that begins with the performers you know as Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy…"

So she told them about how the animatronic performers were actually people, synthetic beings who were created by man who created Goldie. How a man called Sid Hawthorne had wanted to use them for nefarious reasons and they had been hidden under the guise of animatronics after he had been led to believe they were destroyed. That Sid had returned with synthetic beings of his own that had captured the originals, replacing them and Freddy's with Fritz's Family Fun Palace.

"Oh come on!" Jeremy yelled in disbelief, standing as he did. "You can't really expect us to believe that!"

"So you're telling me you honestly never suspected that there might be more to them?" she asked. "Nothing about the way they moved or how they interacted, with each other or with anyone? Have you ever seen robotic performers anywhere else that behave like they do?"

"Well…" Susie struggled to find the words. "I always thought… that was just how they were designed."

She nodded. "And you'd be right, but it was never meant to be like how they ended up. They were supposed to replace animatronics completely as the performers before Sid had other ideas. They could only ever take off their suits at night, after closing."

"So Mike knew?" Susie asked.

"He did. That was his primary purpose for being there and his father before him: to have someone who could talk to them as they really were," she said.

"Yeah and to have the perfect place to hide-"

"Do not even finish that sentence, Jeremy Fitzgerald!" Even though she was an image on a screen, the look Goldie gave him was enough to silence him. "Mike Schmidt is by no means a perfect person, but I can tell you this: he did not kidnap or kill those children."

"I knew it!" Susie cried. "I knew he couldn't be responsible!"

"Susie, I think I'm beginning to like you," said Goldie cheerfully.

Jeremy had no idea how to react to this news. He collapsed back into a seat. He thought he heard Susie and Goldie talking to him, but his mind didn't fully process whatever it was.

On the one hand, he had spent a long time trying to come to terms with the fact that even though his brother was… gone, his killer was behind bars. It was comforting almost, knowing that there was someone to blame, someone to get angry at other than himself.

At the same time, deep down, he knew that Mike couldn't really be responsible. The guy was a little skittish sure, maybe awkward at times but Jeremy couldn't fully picture him as being a killer. He didn't know what it was exactly, it just didn't feel completely right. He'd done his best to ignore that feeling but now, it came back in full force.

Eventually, he managed to formulate a response.

"So," he began slowly, "if he didn't do it, who did?"

"Now, there's the million dollar question. I'm afraid I don't know, not for certain. But I can tell you my biggest suspects are the same people who replaced Freddy's, who swept in like the vultures they are to take the scraps left in the aftermath," she said with venom.

"Fritz's," Susie gasped. "Oh my god…"

"I know. And that is where you two come in." She let that hang in there for a moment. "I need your help. All of my friends are imprisoned, five children are dead and their murderer has so far gotten away with it. I intend to change that."

"Okay," said Jeremy with a hint of scepticism. "But you can do all this stuff with technology. Why do you need us?"

She looked ashamed. "Because I'm very limited at this point. Sid has an AI of his own, one that's just as advanced, if not more advanced, than me. The only way I was able to escape was by faking my death."

"I helped her to set up this, like, signal suppressor. Pretty easy, with parts and instructions." Brad went and patted what looked like a wireless router that had been rigged together. "Means she can operate within my apartment without worrying about being sniffed out, you know? But if she does it outside of this place, there's a big chance this Sid dude could learn where she is."

"And if he does, he won't let me get away so easily a second time," finished Goldie. "If I'm going to do this, I need outside help."

"Why can't Brad?" asked Jeremy. "He seems pretty behind on this whole thing and he's good with tech."

Brad shrugged. "No can do. I never got offered a job at the new place. Guess they figured I was too close to Freddy's. I can't even use my… what's that line from that one movie, where Liam Neeson's a bad dad?"

"Exceptional set of skills?" prompted Susie.

"That's the one! Yeah, my skills, 'cause whatever it is they've got rigged there? It's not like any firewall I've ever seen. It's like it changes and adapts to everything I could do before I even do it," he said. "I can't get close to the place, physically or digitally."

"Hence you two. You've both shown a loyalty and devotion to Freddy Fazbear's. You both know Mike Schmidt and in some way, you both know he couldn't truly be the perpetrator of such a crime. And you've both suffered directly from the killer's actions and not just from losing your jobs there." She looked from one to the other. "You go without saying, Jeremy. As for you, Susie? I know about William."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Susie. "How…?"

"I happened to eavesdropping using Mike's phone when you told him. Sorry," she said, "it's a bit of a bad habit of mine, one that one of my students picked up. For the record, what happened was not your fault, no matter what you believe your girlfriend may-"

"I'd rather not get into my personal life with you, if you don't mind," Susie said harshly.

"Right, sorry, getting off track. The point is that together, we have a chance to right some serious wrongs. I know that everything I've told you sounds utterly fantastic and you don't have any reason to trust me, but everything I've told you is the truth and if we don't act, then nothing will change. So, are you with me?" she asked.

The silence hung thick in the air as the two former Freddy's employees considered everything she had told them. Finally, one of them stood up with a hard expression on his face.

"You're right," said Jeremy. "I don't have any reason to trust you and this all sounds completely crazy."

"Jeremy," Goldie began but he cut her off.

"No, whatever it is, save it. I don't know what you're expecting us to do or what exactly you hoped to achieve, but I'm not doing it. I'm going home. Come on, Susie."

"Dude, wait, dude," Brad said hurriedly, getting between him and the door. "Come on, man, we need you. We need your help."

"Yeah, you do need help but I don't think it's the kind you're looking for from me," retorted Jeremy. He shoved his way past Brad and put his hand on the door handle.

"Jeremy." Goldie's voice made him hesitate. "In the end, it's ultimately up to you. I just hope you can live with the decision you make."

Jeremy didn't respond directly. He just glared at her, as she gazed with sympathy at him. He stalked out of the door. A glance back told him that Susie was following him. They'd just made it to the stairwell when she spoke up.

"I'm going to help them."

Jeremy froze and turned to stare at her. "What?"

"I said, I'm going to help them," she repeated. "I don't want Mike to go to jail for something he didn't do and I'm not going to let the real killer get away with what they did."

"You really believe all that? Even everything about AIs and synthetics and all that crazy stuff?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Do you really believe the right man was put in prison or is that just easier to accept than the truth?" she asked coldly.

"It doesn't matter. It's not gonna change a thing. He's… he's gone…" He turned away sharply, furiously blinking and setting off down the stairs again.

"I understand what you're going through, Jeremy," she said quietly.

That got the anger going. It compounded with all the emotions that were still roiling in him, after everything that he had been told and all that had been revealed to him. He rounded on Susie, who flinched but stood her ground.

"Really? You understand, do you?" he challenged.

"I do actually, yes," Susie responded firmly.

Jeremy scoffed and looked away. "You know how many people have said that to me, since it happened? But none of them, not you, not anyone, has a clue how it feels."

"Empty. It feels like there's a space left inside you that can never be filled. But more than that, beyond the outrage and the numbness is the guilt." Jeremy looked up at this and saw how her eyes shimmered now, the resolution on her face. "That irrational, clawing feeling of guilt that you can't get rid of. Like you were somehow responsible for what happened and that you could have stopped it if you'd acted differently. B-But now, you have to deal with… with…"

She couldn't continue. Her hand went to her face as she sat back in her chair, her shoulders shaking while she fought back the tears.

Immediately, Jeremy felt horrible. Because Susie had just described exactly what he had been feeling over the past five weeks. All of those thoughts and feelings he either struggled with or ignored. He remembered what Goldie had said to her in the apartment.

"William. William Davies, he was one of the other kids," he recalled. "Was he… like, was he a relative or did you adopt him with Wendy?"

She shook her head, her voice wavering as she spoke. "No… but we would have. The sweetest little boy you c-could have ever met. Wendy helped l-look after him at the children's h-home and he would always come to F-Freddy's. One day, I let him g-go back alone. He… he never g-got…"

She couldn't hold them back anymore. She broke down in front of Jeremy and he rushed forward. She gripped hold of him tightly, weeping into his shoulder. He returned her embrace, feeling the warmth trickling down his own face.

"I… I let Robbie go home alone, too." He was surprised that the words were coming out of his mouth, but he didn't try and stop it. "Mom called. Said he hadn't shown up. I ran, took the route we always took. I searched for him and I couldn't… couldn't find him. Mom, she was so mad. She kept saying I was supposed to l-look after him and I didn't." He screwed his eyes shut. "I shouldn't have… it's my fault…"

"Wendy was the same. I think she still is but… she won't talk to me." She pulled away and looked him right in the eye. "But we're not responsible for what happened. Whoever took those kids and did that to them, it's all on them. It won't bring either of them back, I know that. But it's the right thing to do and not just for them."

Jeremy knew what she meant by that. He thought of Mike Schmidt, riding the bus with an animatronic bear head in his lap. Coming into Freddy's during the day, talking about his life and congratulating him on how well he did his job. The man who was currently in jail for the death of his brother and four innocents. Almost the moment he heard that news, something hadn't felt right.

He'd been willing to accept it. The case was practically closed and it meant he could have someone to direct his mixed up feelings at, somebody to blame. But just like how he couldn't break that window at Freddy's, he couldn't place the blame squarely on Mike. There was always that part of him which knew the truth, deep down.

Now, he'd been given a chance to actually do something to put things right and he was willing to walk away. Did some of it sound completely crazy? Of course it did. But that didn't change a damn thing. Regardless of whether or not everything Goldie told them was true, she was obviously intelligent, resourceful and she had a plan. That was a lot more than what he had right now and if he could be part of that…

He looked at Susie. Once again, the look in her eyes mirrored his own. At almost the same time, they reached out and grasped each other's hands tightly in a gesture of solidarity.

"Come on then," he said, "let's go get these guys."

* * *

They'd returned to the apartment, much to the relief and surprise of Goldie and Brad. The latter made good on his promise and ordered them in some takeaway to celebrate. They waited until it arrived and they had something to eat before they got down to business.

While they ate and talked, Goldie watched them and told them about her times as a performer at the old restaurant, the days she spent training the Fazband to take over. The more she did, the more Jeremy couldn't help but find himself believing her story. Yes, it sounded utterly insane, but he was also talking to a living computer programme and the way she recalled her memories, it just didn't seem like something you could just make up.

She spoke especially fondly of Mike and the times she spent with him, which Jeremy noted. He asked what it was about him in particular.

"He's responsible for giving me a second chance I didn't deserve," she answered. "I owe him a great deal. It's high time I returned the favour." She didn't say any more than that and Jeremy didn't pry.

When they were done, they gathered at the TV screen for what Goldie called her 'mission briefing.'

"Before we begin, I want to express my gratitude to both of you. You're going out on a limb for me and I appreciate it," she said sincerely.

"Yeah, we are." Jeremy leaned across the table and looked her in the digital eye. "We're putting a lot of trust in you, Goldie. You'd better be right about this."

"I am. So, as I've already touched upon, Fritz's Family Fun Palace can be partially blamed for what happened with Freddy's. The franchise owner, Fritz Smith, used various underhanded means to get control of the Freddy Fazbear name and property, including planting the remains of those children."

Jeremy frowned. "Seems pretty far to go to take over a kid's restaurant."

"Never underestimate the human capacity for greed and spite," said Goldie. "And from what I can gather, Fritz has a great capacity for it. But he's not the one directly responsible, he's not the sort to get his hands dirty. However, Brad and I have received some interesting information from a man we have on the inside, Philip O'Neil. He went to keep an eye on Sid when he first ran away."

"Is he okay?" asked Susie worriedly.

"Don't worry, he's fine. But he hasn't been able to tell us anymore, just to keep his cover in place. Even so, what he's told us is invaluable. I already knew that Hawthorne and Smith were in cahoots, thanks to the old manager of Freddy's. But what Phil told me was that the person or persons who were responsible for the abduction of the children are currently in the employment of the Fun Palace."

"Oh god…" Susie looked physically sick. "They… they did that and they're just… walking around, among all those kids. I-I could have sat in the break room with a child murderer…"

"It's their way of keeping an eye on them, along with a way of keeping them under their thumb that's also inside that restaurant: a security tape, stolen from Freddy's which depicts those responsible for what happened," she said.

"And the police just failed to notice that something like that was missing from the crime scene?" asked Jeremy. "And why steal a tape? Can't Sid's AI just alter the film, like you can?"

"No, they just assumed that Mike was the one who did away with it, in a very poor attempt to cover his tracks. They've already written it off to try and close the case," answered Goldie. "And no, he can't. If it were digital file, then yes, either one of us could alter the file and image. But Freddy's had analogue recording equipment. While either I or my rival could change the image projected onto the screen in the moment, we can't alter the film itself. It's like updating a digital clock on your computer and expecting that to change the one you have on your wall."

"Pretty convenient," remarked Jeremy.

She raised an eyebrow. "Jeremy, I'm a digital being, not physical. I can't edit printed media, any more than you can penetrate a firewall. But it means that we have physical proof that Mike isn't the one responsible. If we can get that tape, we can show that he's innocent and get him out of prison as well as putting away those that are."

"Did Phil manage to tell you who it actually is?" asked Susie.

"Unfortunately, no and while I have my suspicions, I can't say with any certainty as to who it might be. That's where you come in, Susie," she said. "You're already placed inside the Palace, so you have a lay of the land and who works there. I need you to find that tape. I don't know where in the restaurant it is, but it'll be in there somewhere. At the same time, see if you can figure out who we should be keeping our eye on. Don't do anything to act on it and don't try to take the tape. We'll tackle that when we know where it is."

A flicker of fear came across Susie's face but it was gone in a moment. "I'll do what I can."

"Good. Now, Jeremy, your job is going to be a little more challenging," she said.

"More challenging than tracking down a killer?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yes. There's a position open at the moment for a night guard at the Palace. So far, it's not been filled and I want you to apply for it."

Jeremy shrugged. "Shouldn't be too hard. They initially offered me that post before I turned it down. But why?"

"Because if it's anything like the job at Freddy's, locking up for the night will only be part of it. Your other part will be to keep an eye on and possibly interact with the performers after hours, when they don't have to hide as animatronics," she explained.

"That's something else I wanted to know. This place has been open for close to a month and it's got the same kinda performers as Freddy's, synths hidden as 'trons. But why are they still hidden?" he asked. "They don't exactly need to hide from their own creator."

"No, but according to Phil, it's Fritz's idea. A big marketing ploy. Let everyone think they're animatronics and at the end of the month, announce what they really are to bring in even more interest as shock and awe value. In fact, it's something that'll be happening by the end of the coming week," she added. "I'd like to stop it before it happens."

"But doesn't that mean they wouldn't have to hide anymore?" piped up Susie.

Goldie nodded slowly. "That's one possibility, yes. But there's too many unknown variables. If we do decide to reveal the truth, I want it to be on our terms, not on the whim of some fat cat. Because you can bet when he reveals his own synths, he'll also be unveiling the originals too, because they're being kept there as well. Again, I don't know why but it was another part of Phil's information."

"And you want me to work out where they are while I'm on the night shift, so we can rescue them, too," realised Jeremy.

"And now, I'm starting to like you too, Jeremy," Goldie remarked. "Yes, that's exactly it. At the same time, I want you to work on the new synths. The way I see it, they're as much victims of what happened as we are. They're under the control of Sid's AI and speaking from experience in that realm, I want to change that for them. They might even be able to help you."

"So, Susie has to track down a killer and I get to hang out with a bunch of robots after dark." Despite himself, Jeremy couldn't supress a smile. "This is gonna be a hell of a ride."

"I'm glad you see it that way," said Goldie, returning his smile.

* * *

Hey everyone! Sorry to say, I have discontinued my practice of responding to individual reviews at the end of stories. I just wanted to add though, thank you so much in advance. I was genuinely surprised at how many familiar names I saw cropping up on the reviews section.

If anyone wants to say hi, feel free to send me a PM and I'm happy to talk.

Be strong, be swift, be just.

Alpha.


	3. Help Wanted

**Help Wanted**

In a few ways, Fritz's Family Fun Palace was a lot like Freddy's. It had the same kind of colour scheme and decoration, it had robotic performers and the same kind of fun-for-all-the-family vibe. That last bit really meant the kids would go nuts while the parents would just find somewhere quiet and wait for it all to be over. But for Susie, it would never be Freddy's and with all that she had learned recently, she saw both places in a completely new light.

She turned her head to the sounds of the performers in the main room through the door. Who would have thought that underneath all that hard plastic and painted smiles, there were things that had stepped straight out of science fiction? It was almost a shame that, if they did this right, no one else would ever know that.

She gave a smile to a woman who returned it. Rather cute with freckles and brown hair. She came in here every day, but Susie couldn't really recall what for. She'd told her the first time she arrived but she hadn't been paying attention.

Her eyes cast around the other restaurant staff, as they hurried about. It chilled her blood to think that, among them, there was a child kidnapper and killer. Someone who was just walking freely amongst the kids and their parents. And it was up to her to find them, along with that security tape.

She snapped out of her train of thought when Jeremy approached the desk.

"Hey there!" he greeted. "I'm here about the night guard position?"

"Okay, let me check." She flicked to the appointments. "Yep, here you are. Jeremy, right?"

"That's me. So, where do I go?" he asked.

"Go through to the Party Area and through the door next to Prize Corner. I'll ring up to let you in," she told him.

"Awesome, thanks for that."

"No problem. Hope you get it!" she said.

Jeremy returned her smile and set off. Susie briefly watched him go and returned to what she was doing, calling the reception desk upstairs to let Jeremy in. They'd both agreed to make it seem like they didn't know each other. It was safer that way.

Her thoughts turned to the stairs she'd directed him to. They led up to the building's offices, primarily the manager's office where Fritz Smith resided over his little kingdom. She had a feeling that if the tape was going to be anywhere, it would be there.

The trouble was getting there. The door was coded and she didn't know it. Only the people who worked up there did and the security guard during the day. Even if she did get the code, she couldn't just go up without any reason to be there. It also meant going close to Prize Corner and out of all the performers, the one that lurked in the box gave her the creeps. So just how was she going to get upstairs?

She pressed her fingers together, deep in thought. Five days. That was all they had to work with, before the truth would be revealed to everyone. It didn't exactly leave much elbow room. It was quite daunting, but Susie wasn't going to let that stop her. She just had to pick a starting point and work from there.

It occurred to her that she didn't really know a lot of the staff very well. Back at Freddy's, she'd been on a first name basis with everybody there. It helped they were a small staff in an equally small restaurant. After what had happened at Freddy's, she hadn't really felt the drive to get to know new people like she usually did. She'd just isolated herself, did her best to cope day after day.

Now, it looked like she was going to have to call upon her social skills. After all, if you wanted to know about a place, the best idea was to talk to the people who worked there. She checked her watch. Lunch was in half an hour. There was at least one member of staff she knew she could talk to. She would ask him then.

Susie became aware of somebody approaching the front desk and looked up to see Jeremy again. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand and had a big smile on his face.

"Well, I got the job!" he announced. "They told me to come downstairs and give this to you, said you'd give me a little tour."

"Oh that's great! Well done!" Susie took the paper from him and scanned it. A whole lot of disclaimers. "Okay, if you'll just follow me this way, Jeremy."

She flagged down one of the other floor staff to cover the front desk. She'd given similar things to other new staff members, so she knew this like the back of her hand.

"So first of all, welcome to Fritz's Family Fun Palace! You may have heard of our other branches in Greater Borealis but this is the first branch we've had in Little Borealis since 1983. Sadly, we were beaten out by some local competition but after recent events, we thought it was high time to remind everybody just exactly what family entertainment means!"

Though she said it with a smile, a little bit of her died inside whenever she had to say that.

"So this is the entrance hall, the gateway to our nonstop fun and festivity. Just follow me through here into the main Games Room, the heart of our vibrant community." She led him through the doors, assailed instantly by a cavalcade of noise and cheers.

Even Susie had to admit, the space was very impressive. Arcade cabinets lined the left side of the room, where children groaned in annoyance at the loss of their last life and ran off to beg their parents for more change. Those who had reams of tickets hurried over to the Prize Corner to claim their rewards. A small carousel circled around the centre. Customers chatted excitedly while waiters hurriedly brought them their food. At the centre of it all was the main stage, where the band were playing their way through one of their songs.

"Wow. You weren't kidding about it," he commented.

"Oh we like to have our jokes here, but we never kid around about the experience only _we_ can offer," she said. She had to suppress a laugh when Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Just come right this way."

She guided him along, pointing out all of the highlights along the way. The last thing she arrived at was the performers themselves.

"Now, you've probably heard about Freddy Fazbear's who also had animatronic performers and the many issues that came with their performances. Well, here at the Fun Palace, _our_ performers use the same state-of-the-art technology, improved for the modern age and extensively tested for your entertainment and most importantly, your safety," she emphasized. "These are the stars of our show: Teddy, Hermy and Clyde."

She indicated the bear, chicken and rabbit respectively who had just finished their last song, to the joy (and relief) of those present.

"Thank you all, thank you all very much!" said Teddy. "Well, this is absolutely lovely, isn't it you two?"

"It sure is! I'm havin' so much fun!" squealed Hermy.

"Oh you bet, Ted!" enthused Clyde. He set his guitar down and let out a yawn. "And now, I think it's time for me to have a little nap…"

"Now, Clyde, you can't go to sleep yet." Teddy put on a rather inspired air. "It is our duty to never rest, to never tire in our uh… duty! Yes, to entertain these good people."

"Hey, Teddy?"

"Not now, Hermy," he said dismissively. "And for this, we must forge on. For though our bodies may tire and our spirits wane, it is what we must do. For everyone that steps through those doors, for all that come after and-"

"Teddy!"

"For goodness sake Hermana, what is-?" Suddenly, the anger that was in his voice changed to a lighter tone. "I mean, I'm sorry, Hermy! What did you want to tell me?"

"It's Clyde. I don't think he liked your speech too much," she said, pointing.

"Eh?" He looked to see Clyde had fallen asleep, standing up no less. "Oh, Clyde you lazy bones! Come on, up you get." The rabbit didn't respond. "Clyde? Clyde!"

"Here, lemme try." Hermy crossed over, got right next to his ear and screeched, "HEY! RISE AND SHINE, SWEETHEART!"

With that, he suddenly snapped awake and glared at the chicken, who hopped back out of reach of his hands.

"Hey! What do you think you're-" And again, it was like a switch flicked and his annoyance gave way to good-natured laughter. "You got me again, Hermy!"

"Excellent work, my dear!" praised Teddy. "Now, as I was saying, it is time to-"

"Time to party!" cried Hermana. She jumped from the stage and onto the skates that came out of her feet. "Who's ready to get their body movin?!"

Teddy sounded rather annoyed. "Actually, I was going to-"

"You go ahead and party, I'm gonna go take five back here. See you at the next show," said Clyde. He pulled back the curtain and stepped backstage.

"I really would rather prefer to…" Teddy trailed off when he saw no one was listening to him. "To get right on with what you suggested! Capital job, both of you! I'll stay here for anyone who like to uh, have a fun time with me. Yes indeed, rather!"

But no one did come over to see him and those that did, didn't do so for long. Everyone was either dancing with Hermana or on the machines with Clyde. He picked a direction and awkwardly walked off in it.

"Aren't they a hoot?" said Susie. "They do shows every hour and interact with all the guests. They're your responsibility when the lights go out, so take good care of them. Now, just gotta read this out to you…"

"Hello," a small voice said.

They looked down to see the smallest of the group. The rosy-cheeked little boy with a striped shirt and beanie hat, holding a balloon in both hands.

"Hi there," he said brightly and offered one to Jeremy. "Want one?"

Jeremy was only at a loss for a moment. "Sure. Thanks, little man."

"You're welcome," he said brightly. "Welcome to the Fun Palace!"

"Ah, I almost forgot. This is little Balloon Boy. If you want a balloon, he's your man," said Susie.

"Sure am," Balloon Boy said proudly.

They waited for him to go, but he didn't. He continued to stare up at them, his eyes lingering especially on Susie. Why did he always seem to do this?

"Okay, so back to this." She started to read through the disclaimer. "All performers are property of the Fun Palace. Any damage done to the performers will be deducted from paycheques directly. At lights out, all performers must be carefully monitored, as they must remain active during closed hours to prevent mechanical issues. Please do not tamper or interfere with the performers. All activities that may or may not occur during afterhours should be regarded as confidential in nature and should not be reported to anyone, beyond upper management. Any incident of the night guard repeating an afterhours event to unauthorised employees or members of the public is to be regarded as a breach of contract and will result in immediate termination and legal action. If you have any-"

"Are you going to be looking after us?" Balloon Boy asked Jeremy.

"Yep, that's my job." Jeremy crouched down to his level. "I hope you're gonna be good for me."

"Don't worry, _I_ will. Bye," he said abruptly and wandered off into the crowd.

"He's a… cute one," remarked Jeremy.

"I guess. Anyway," she said, "last bit is if you have any questions, direct them to upper management. All good?"

"Sounds good to me," he said.

"Great! I'll show you where you'll be working."

She took him towards the back of the Party Room, along another corridor. She indicated the door in front of them.

"That's Parts and Services, where maintenance is carried out on the performers. And just through there is Kid's Cove," she said, indicating another entrance in the Games Room, "where we have activities for our younger guests, including a special construction attraction using old mechanical parts." She read again from the disclaimer. "Parts and Services is kept locked and is only accessible to authorised engineers. Kid's Cove is also considered off-limits afterhours, to all personnel. Right, just down here. We'll be passing the other Party Rooms, private spaces for hire for our guests."

They walked past these doors into the security room itself. A man with short hair and glasses sat at the desk, watching the monitors closely. He only looked up briefly at the two of them, then went back to work.

"Once we close up, this is going to be your little space," Susie told him. "You'll be able to familiarise yourself with the camera equipment when you come in tonight. This is where you'll also get your keys for the night so you can lock up and I'll be giving you your uniform on the way out. Any questions?"

"Nope, I think you've covered pretty much everything. I can't wait to get started," said Jeremy, sarcasm very faint in his voice.

"That's great to hear." She led him back where they came from and handed him his clothes from behind the desk. "Let me just finish by saying, welcome to the Fun Palace crew and don't hesitate to come find me if you have any questions. My name is Susie," she said.

"Well, it's been great meeting you, Susie," Jeremy replied and shook her hand. "I'll see you around."

"See you later!" she trilled and waved him off. Internally, she let out a sigh of relief.

It was good to know that Jeremy had his place secured. While he did her part, she would do hers. On that note, she saw that it just hit lunch and went to take it in the breakroom. Luckily for her, it wasn't far away from the front desk.

She stepped inside, getting her food from her bag and quickly scanned the room. She found who she was looking for and went to sit with him. It was Ken, one of the old waiters from Freddy's and among the few who signed on for the Fun Palace. He looked up with surprise and elation.

"Susie! Hey, it's good to see you." He stood up to give her a hug, which she returned.

"Hey Ken. Sorry I've not seen much of you," she said. "After what happened, I just needed some space."

"It's okay, I get it. That stuff was messed up and I had some things I needed to deal with too," he said. "And Mike… who would have thought he'd be the one?"

"I've never really been too sure about that," said Susie.

"Oh yeah, you were pretty close with him huh?" recalled Ken. "Anyway, I guess he's locked up now and we just gotta deal with it. You doing better?"

"A little bit, yeah. Still a ways off, but I'm getting there," she admitted. "What about you? How's Anita?"

He shook his head mournfully. "I'd tell you, but I haven't seen her since it happened and she doesn't talk to me anymore. Doesn't answer my calls or reply to my texts." Despite himself, he laughed. "Kind of funny, considering her relationship with her phone."

"I don't blame her. I mean, that was her sister who…" Susie's thoughts turned to her. "What they're going through must be horrible."

"Yeah, I bet. Since they moved away, I'm not exactly holding much hope of seeing her anytime soon. I just hope she gets back in touch with me," he said.

"Hey, give it time. I know it's hard, but she'll come around. After all, she does think you're a super nice guy," she added.

"Really?" Ken's face lit up and his cheeks went red. "She does?"

"I saw it in a text over her shoulder," Susie said conspiratorially. "She wasn't happy when she saw and she made me swear not to tell so you didn't hear it from me."

"I got it," he said with a wink. "So what about you? How's Wendy doing? Didn't she look after one of the kids or something?"

"She did," Susie murmured. "I'd rather not get into Ken, if that's okay?"

"It's cool, it's cool," he said quickly. "Let's just talk about something else."

"Good idea," Susie said, taking a chance to steer the conversation where she needed it. "So how are you finding all the staff here?"

"They're pretty cool. Most of them are, there's no Bobby if you get what I mean. Glad he didn't come back," he added. "But you remember Jim, from the kitchens at Freddy's? He works here now too."

"I don't blame him, considering he didn't have a job before Freddy's. Are we the only ones?" she asked.

"From Freddy's? Yeah, all the people that stuck around long enough. Everyone else is all new faces," he shrugged. "It's kind of weird, after working with the same people for so long but that's just life huh?"

"Yeah," she said absently. "What do you mean, people who stuck around?"

He glanced around and leaned in conspiratorially. "Well, you remember how we had a hard time holding down a night guard at Freddy's before Mike showed up? All those guys who had the post before, they work here now."

"What?" Susie was surprised by this. "I thought they were arrested."

"They got let out. The owner of this place wanted to give them another shot." He smirked. "I forgot you don't really keep up with the news."

She shrugged. "There's enough doom and gloom in the world without being reminded of it every day."

"Can't really blame anyone but yourself for not knowing though," Ken pointed out.

"Fair point. Still, that's a pretty big thing. Have you talked to them?" she asked.

"Nu-uh, no one has. I get that it's a stereotype, but they were arrested for actual crimes. People are a little freaked out by that sort of stuff. They kinda just stay as a little group in here. There's a couple over there," he said, jerking his head.

Susie looked to see two men in the corner of the room. One rather skinny, the other rather large with their heads bowed in conversation. They were too far away to hear. One of them glanced at her and she averted her eyes.

"Yeah, I'd say best thing is to keep out of their way," said Ken quietly. "You don't know what guys like that are capable of."

Susie silently agreed, but she kept an eye on them regardless while she made small talk with Ken. A little later, a woman came to join them and the skinny guy left. Around this time, her lunch was over and thanks to a sudden surge in customers, she couldn't do much else to follow up on this. She committed their faces to memory and did her best to watch them. The two guys appeared to be waiters but she lost sight of the woman.

In the late afternoon, she had finished her shift and started home. Normally, she could look forward to putting up her feet and lazily watching YouTube for the rest of the evening. But she would be doing something different on her computer this evening. She stood in the doorway for a bit when she arrived back and called out. No response.

Wendy wasn't home yet. She was silently thankful for that. Her partner hadn't been having the best time of it recently and neither had their relationship. Though Mike mentioned the issue a while ago that Wendy might blame her for what happened to William, they'd never really talked about it and it had only gotten worse after his remains were found. Wendy had always been a quiet sort, but these days she barely said a word unless it was a necessity. Susie felt it was best to give her space and she would just come around eventually but she still hadn't…

She put that out of her mind for now. She had work to do. Pulling out her laptop and turning it on, she stared at the screen for a bit. Where to start…

She remembered what Ken had told her about the guards, how Fritz had been the one to hire them. A quick search showed her the article. Five individuals, formerly imprisoned for breaking and entering at both Freddy's and their warehouse. She found another article reporting that incident and it came with photographs of them. There was no mistaking their faces. It was definitely them. The same people that Mike had fended off, with the help of the synths. Well, three of them at least but one of them with the glasses looked familiar too. It didn't take long to recall that he was the day shift guard. He was called Gordon. The skinny guy was Stuart, the larger was Ernest and the woman was Jenny. The only one she hadn't seen was Daniel, their proclaimed leader according to the paper.

Susie sat back in her chair, looking long and hard at the photos. She couldn't shake the feeling in her gut. It was one of them, it had to be. They might even be able to tell her where she could find what she was looking for. The question now, was who?


	4. Lights Out!

**Lights Out!**

"Hi. Jeremy, isn't it? Here about the night guard post?" asked the receptionist when he got upstairs. It was another woman, although she looked a little older and less enthusiastic than Susie.

"That's what it says on the door," said Jeremy, trying a smile.

She returned it in a patient manner and took out two pieces of paper. "Excellent. Please give this to the front desk downstairs and sign on this contract here. They'll give you the rundown of everything. You'll be starting tonight, make sure you're on time."

Jeremy was taken aback. "Okay. So, no interview or anything like that? I just got it?"

"Well, no one's exactly lining up for it and you were made the original offer, so no. Everything is outlined in your contract and form there. If you have any further questions, please direct them to the front desk."

"Right." He looked past her, to the door that indicated the manager's office. "I don't get to meet the big man himself?"

"Mr Smith is currently busy at the moment, but he has assured me that everything is in order. If you could sign that for me please?" she asked again.

Jeremy decided to take the hint and had a quick scan of the contract. There was the usual about giving notice, rate of pay, holidays and working hours. Then there were the disclaimers, ones that forbade him from relating anything he experienced to staff or customers, about not being responsible for injuries of any kind, a whole lot of things about the performers including their care, forbidding tampering with the machinery or performing any close examination.

"There's a lot of stuff in here, isn't there?" The receptionist, whose name he noted by her tag was Jenny, only gave a pointed look in return. "Right, ask the front desk. Got it."

Knowing what it was they wanted to keep under wraps, Jeremy tried not to worry too much as he signed the contract. He had a job to do beyond what he was being paid for and he wasn't going to let some legal mumbo jumbo scare him off.

Jenny wordlessly took the contract from him and returned to whatever she was doing. Knowing he wasn't going to be getting any more out of her, Jeremy took his cue. As he left, he couldn't help shake the feeling he had seen her somewhere before but he couldn't recall exactly…

It was weird, having Susie talk to him as if they were strangers but Jeremy was an actor. He knew his role and how to play it, this was all just part of the show. He followed along, taking in as much detail as he could. As Susie pointed out the performers, Jeremy recalled what Goldie had told him about each one.

Teddy, though he seemed to prefer Theodore. A rather stiff sort and the supposed leader as Freddy had been for the old group. Clyde was their answer to Bonnie, rather fittingly. Goldie hadn't gotten much of a read on him. He seemed to hang around on the fringes and when he did make himself known, it was in a very apathetic, laid-back sort of way. Chica's counterpart was Hermana or Hermy. Hyperactive and bursting with energy. Then there was Balloon Boy. He didn't have a direct parallel. He was the only one who was completely unique. He was a rather quiet kid and seemed to fade into the background.

But there were two that Jeremy didn't see that his thoughts were focused on. One was Foxy's counterpart, Vevina. Goldie claimed she was the one for whom all the authority meant for Teddy had been given. Independent and driven, she had been the only one to outright deny their mission of capturing the synths. If any of them were likely to be an ally to their cause, it would be her. That was what Goldie said and Jeremy agreed, though Susie hadn't mentioned her at all during the tour. If she was anything like Foxy, he guessed she was in Kid's Cove and that was probably why it was an off limits place.

And all of them were under the control of this rival AI, it seemed. While they behaved independently in a sense, if it seemed like they were going to do something the AI wasn't happy with, he took the reins from them. Goldie hadn't been able to tell Jeremy anything about him, other than showing him an image of his face. White like bone, with a huge dark smile and narrow black eyes, fitted with pinprick white dots and red streaks set vertically like tears. She didn't know if he had a synthetic body or if was a digital entity like her, but she did know that he was in that building too.

"It's the thing that's keeping Brad from getting in. The way it behaves, it could only be him. I don't know where he could be, but he can take control of the five of them any time he pleases. Whoever or whatever he is, he's ruthless and willing to do whatever he deems necessary to get what he wants. You have a task and I know you'll manage it, but be very careful, Jeremy."

Those words played through Jeremy's head as he travelled home and had really worked in some doubts when he reached his front door. He began to wonder if this was really worth doing. Then he stopped outside the door to his brother's room. He didn't actually go in, but it was enough to harden his resolve.

He was glad that his mother was away for the week, doing business out of town. She'd been doing that a lot lately, probably for the same reason Jeremy seemed to find excuses to not come back into the house. Still, it worked out for him. It meant he didn't have to explain what he was doing to her. She'd lose it if she found out.

Jeremy quickly got his dinner on the go and started to mentally prepare himself for the events of the evening. This was going to be a challenge, to say the least.

* * *

The sun had almost gone down. All of the employees had gone home for the day. Jeremy closed and locked the shutters, following the instructions Susie had given him. He walked to the security office, briefly glancing at the performers onstage. He tried to ignore the fact that they were probably watching him right now. He noted how Kid's Cove was now closed off by a set of curtains as he walked by.

He knew that it would be quiet when he came in for his shift. It was only to be expected. What Jeremy didn't fully anticipate was just how quiet it was. He never really liked it. When it was noisy, he could just throw himself into it and go along with it all. Silence made him uncertain and apprehensive. It only reinforced the fact that he was alone. Well, alone for now.

Jeremy did his best to look nonchalant and relaxed, waiting for the moment when his night-time charges would make themselves known to him. He didn't have to wait for long. His ears picked up activity coming down the hall, voices talking. He picked up his flashlight and baton. Showtime.

"Who's there?" he called out, as he cautiously moved down the corridor from the security room. "The restaurant's closed until tomorrow. You better come out right now before I-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Jeremy winced from the high pitched squeal that suddenly sounded. Something zoomed right at him, moving out of the way at the last possible second and coming to a stop behind him. He only briefly got a good look at some long, blonde hair and wide blue eyes before they were looking him right in the face.

"Oh. My. GAWD!" she cried. "It's true, it's true, IT'S TRUE! We finally got our own night guard! This is, I mean this is really, oh gawd, it's so great! You gotta come with me, you gotta meet the others!"

Jeremy didn't get the chance to say anything before she dragged him off, pulling him into the Games Room. He saw pieces of what he realised was Hermana's suit as he went. She brought him to a halt in front of the show stage. A portly, bearded man in a pinstriped brown suit waited for them, impatience written all over his face.

"Good god, Hermana, I told you not to go shooting off like that!" snapped Teddy. "What this young man must think of us now!"

"Who cares what he thinks?" muttered a dark skinned guy, with wild hair and shabby clothes who leaned against the stage. "Not like it matters."

"I'll not have any of that from you, Clyde," he chastised. "Have a little respect for yourself!"

"It's not me I don't have any respect for," he replied.

Teddy rounded on him. "And what is that meant to mean, precisely?"

"Guuuuuuuuys, come on," trilled Hermana.

Clyde only lazily turned his head. "I dunno, Ted. Why don't you tell me? It's pretty much the only thing you know how to do. You know, telling people what to do."

"Well, why I… I never…!" Teddy spluttered for a few seconds. "That is completely uncalled for! And how many times must I tell you to call me Theodore?!"

"As many times as you'd like 'cause again, it's the only thing you enjoy doing. If anything, you should be thanking me. I'm giving you so many chances to do it."

"Guys? Night guard, remember?" Hermana tried to pop up between them but was shoved aside by Teddy.

"That would be grand if you actually did anything I said, you lazy, good-for-nothing ruffian!" he said sharply.

"Thank you, I try," replied Clyde with a mock bow.

"That's not something to be proud of!" Teddy screeched.

"Teddyyyyy, you're using your big boy voice again," said Hermana.

He snorted at her. "Oh be quiet, you airhead! You're not helping here!"

"Yeah, no one asked you, Hermana," added Clyde.

"Hey, I'm tryin' to help here!" she argued.

"I didn't ask for your help and I don't need it," Clyde retorted.

"Something we can agree on," said Teddy.

"Why are you both such meanies?!" she cried.

"Okay then!" Jeremy's voice quickly put an end to their bickering. "I don't know who you three are or what you're doing here, but I'm supposed to be here, looking after the robot performers. If you've done something weird with them, my boss isn't gonna be happy and neither am I." He whipped out his taser.

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Kid's actually got some moxie. Go figure."

"Yeah, more than you've got, chuckles," Jeremy responded. "So unless you wanna be doing a new dance routine with a few dozen volts running through you, you'll tell me who you people are."

"But of course, dear boy!" Teddy drew himself up importantly. "You claim to be here to look after the performers? Well, look no further than us, for here we are."

"Uh huh and I'm President of the United States," remarked Jeremy.

"Nice to meet you, Mr President. Should I salute?" Clyde made an L shape with his finger, which Jeremy responded to with a much more rude gesture. "Hey, kid's restaurant."

"No kids here now," said Jeremy. "So what do you mean, you're the performers? Like, are you doing some kind of cosplay or something?"

Teddy shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, sir. For you see, we are-!"

"Synthetics!" sang Hermana, hopping back down to join him. "Thaaaat's us!"

"Hermana, I was going to-!"

"We look human, talk human, think human but we were made inside tubes with all sorts of machinery and bubbly things and bits stuck in us and a bunch of other stuff I don't quite get but hey! Look at the result!" She twirled on the spot and ended in a pose. "Are we hawt or what? Mainly me though, these other two are okay."

Jeremy thought carefully about his answer. "Uh, sure yeah."

"Aww you're sweet!" She skated to his side and linked an arm through his. "I think I'm just gonna steal you for the night. You guys don't mind, right?"

"Whatever, less for me to do," shrugged Clyde.

"Now, hold on a moment there-" Teddy started forward but again he was cut off.

"Great! Let's go, new guy!" Hermana zoomed off back down the corridor into one of the Party Rooms near the security office and plonked Jeremy into a chair. "You take a load off there. Now, you and me can get to know each other a little better. Sound good?" Jeremy only got to draw breath before she was off again, skating up and down the table as she did. "Woo! So, I'm Hermana but you just call me Hermy, everybody does. Unless they're calling me somethin' not very nice, but I'm sure you wouldn't. You seem nice. What is your name anyways?"

"Jeremy and I-"

"Jeremy! Nice to meetcha!" She shook his hand rapidly. "Guess that means we're friends now. I mean, of course we're friends, why wouldn't you wanna be? Those other two can be such downers, but I'm not! I'm here to help put a smile on your face and make all of your nights suuuuper fun! That's why I wear my shirt!" She pointed at the words 'Let's Party!' on it. "That's what I do, I'm the party girl! The party queen, I guess you could say. No one throws a party like me. They can try, but they won't, never can, never will. Do you like parties? I bet you do! We should have a little party for you, to welcome you on your first night. We can dance, play games, sing songs, have a-"

"Hermana," Jeremy said, firmly enough to get her to stop but still friendly so as not to upset her. "Look, it's great to meet you too but you're loading me down with a lot of stuff here. I just got here and you tell me that you guys just walked straight outta Star Trek? It's a lot to process all at once."

Her mouth made a perfect 'o' shape and dropped into a sheepish look. "Okay, fair enough. It is a lot to process. Like all of our food, that's all pretty much processed. So are we, kinda, at least our brains were. But also our bodies because…" She stopped herself again. "Sorry, shutting up now. Whatcha wanna ask?"

He proceeded to ask her a few things that he already knew, but felt necessary to cover bases. What exactly were they as synths, who made them, why were they hidden away and why they revealed themselves to him. The last one he actually did want to know.

"Well basically, it's so we have a member of staff other than the guys in management who know what we are. Gives us an idea of how customers'll react, lets us have a guy in the restaurant who knows the truth before it's revealed at the end of this week so it makes the uh, what's the word? Somethin' like movin' from one thing to another?"

"Transition?" suggested Jeremy.

"Sure yeah, that works." She let out a little squeal. "Oh they are gonna be so surprised when we take off those suits and when-" She suddenly stopped talking and looked vacant for a moment. "But anyway, that's the idea. Make sense?"

"I guess so." He let out a laugh. "Wow, this is some pretty cool stuff. I mean, I used to work at Freddy's a while ago and they had a similar thing to this place. Robotic performers, walking and talking with people."

"Huh. That so." Her eyes moved away and she idly skated away with her back turned. "Sounds neat."

"It was. They were really good too. Hey, were they synths too, do you think? I mean, it would make sense if you-"

"Nope, no they weren't," she said quickly. "It's just us, we are the one and only batch of synths. Well, five and only really. Actually, more like four and only after… but nope, those things were just animatronics."

"Really?" Jeremy asked. "Aw, it would have been cool if they were. But if they weren't, guess that's all there is to it."

"Yep. And anyways, that place is shut. We're the new and improved version! Way better than that!" she enthused. "And you get to look after us! We're gonna have so much fun!"

"I bet we will, but I wanna ask you a few other things first," he said. "Like, I got told there's a couple of places I'm not allowed to get in. Like Kid's Cove. How come?"

For a moment, Hermana's smile faltered. But she instantly got it back again.

"Just 'cause you're not! None of us are. 'Sides, it's boring in there anyways, nothin' to look at there, nope. So come on, let's go do somethin' more excitin'!" she said.

"Sounds like a plan. What I wanna do is try and get into Parts and Services," replied Jeremy and stood up, taking out his keys. "They said I'm not allowed in there either."

He caught another loss of Hermana's smile before he walked off. "Y-Yeah but that's 'cause it's just borin' stuff in there too. You can't get in there anyways, you don't get a key!"

"We'll see about that." He stood in front of the door, taking out each key one by one. But Hermana was right. None of his keys fitted the lock and the ones that did wouldn't turn. "What the? How come they didn't give me a key for this one?"

"'Cause you don't need one, silly!" said Hermana. "We don't need to go in there, so why would you get one? Now come ooooooon! I wanna have some fuuuuuun!"

She grabbed hold of his arm and started to drag him back towards the Games Room. Jeremy tried to pull away but her grip was like iron and before he could get a word in, she started her babble again.

"Ooh there's so much I wanna do! First, I wanna get some music goin' 'cause I need to see how your dancin' is. I love dancin', I love movin' around and boppin' to the beat. I even got some spare skates around here you can try. Ooh, we can have a race or if you don't know how, I can teach you to skate. It's really, really great, I feel like I just glide and slide all over the place! I don't know how you manage to just walk around everywhere when this is so much better."

"Hermy," he tried but she kept on talking. She released his arm and started to circle around him.

"I mean, it's mostly fun. Sometimes I lose my control and end up hittin' a wall but even that's still funny 'cause then everyone gets a little laugh." She let out a shrill giggle. "Yep, everybody smilin' away at little me. I love makin' people smile, a smile always makes me feel fantastic. Always gotta wear a smile otherwise you look like a misery guts and that's no fun for anyone."

"Hermana-"

"No sir, no time for the miseries! Every day is always fun here at the Fun Palace! After all, it's even in the title. Fun all day and every day, even at night when everyone's gone. So come on, Jeremy, leeeeeeeet's PARTY!"

"Hermana! Can you just be quiet for one second?" he snapped. In an instant, her mouth snapped shut. "Look, it's been good talking to you but I think I'm gonna find one of the others. I didn't really get a chance to speak with them."

He set off for the show stage, but he stopped when she spoke again. But the perkiness sounded much more forced than before.

"Okay then! It's fine, I get it. They don't like hangin' around with me much, either."

Jeremy stopped. The annoyance that threatened to mount died down when he saw her face. It still had the big, bright smile but it was one that didn't reach her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"I mean, I guess I wear them down so much they just gotta have their rest. I try to make 'em join me, but then they just get shouty." She started to put on voices, alternating between Clyde and Theodore. "'Hermana, quit being so annoying.' 'Go bother someone else, you bloody airhead.' 'Do you ever do anything else other than bug me all night?' 'Why don't you make yourself useful for once, you nitwit?'" She laughed that shrill laugh again. "It sounds mean, but it doesn't bother me, nope! I do just fine, on my own. Just me, party of one, the solitary fairy, havin' a bit of me time! Everybody does in here. All night, every night. So I get it, you know. You can…" Her voice shook a little bit but she forced some joy back in. "You go have your me time too, Jeremy. Welcome to the crew!"

She rolled back towards the party rooms, glancing back at Jeremy with one last beam. He stood alone in the silence, broken only by the sound of a music box playing faintly in the corner. He took a seat, feeling conflicted.

The practical side of him told him he needed to take this opportunity while it was here. He was on a limited time after all and he had a mission. He could find a key to Parts and Services or work out where the key was at least. He could see what the big deal was about Kid's Cove. He could find one of the other synths, see what he could get out of them about the originals. He wasn't here to make friends, he was here to help find his brother's killer and free some people who needed help.

But then he remembered what Golden had told him. That these synths were victims too, prisoners of this place. It was very obvious Hermana was hiding something but maybe it wasn't just that she wouldn't talk about it. If they were under this other AI's control like Golden said, maybe it was that she _couldn't_. Just how much of their own freedom did they have, Jeremy wondered. Were they even safe inside their own heads or were their very thoughts being monitored? It reminded him of that book he had to look at in class, where every aspect of society was regulated and controlled in some way and everybody had no choice but to go along with it. Jeremy couldn't imagine what that must be like for them.

He had seen the hurt in her eyes that she was trying very hard to hide. Funnily enough, it reminded him of his brother. He liked to act cheery too when he was trying to cover something up and it would be up to Jeremy to coax out what was really wrong with him. The little guy had to realise that he didn't always had to keep trooping on, it was okay to feel this way. Kind of like what he'd been…

He shook off thought. Looks like it was time to see if those same techniques would work on her. He walked down the hall, finding her in the same party room she'd taken him to before. She was sat with her head bowed in a chair and Jeremy could hear her murmuring to herself as he approached.

"Okay, okay, it's fine. Gotta keep a smile, be happy, Hermy. Happy, happy, Hermy. Don't let it bother you, it's all gonna be-" She stopped and turned, plastering on another smile. "Oh, hi Jeremy! You forget somethin' in here? It's fine, don't mind me. I'm doin' just… just fine. Yep!"

"No, I didn't forget anything." He took a seat next to her. "You know, what you said before? I'm impressed that you're able to be on your own all night."

"Huh? O-Oh yeah, sure! Thanks!" she said. "Yep, I can manage just fine!"

"I bet, but it's even more impressive considering how mean the others sound like they can be to you. That's gotta be really tough. If it were me, I would feel really crummy about it. In fact, I think I'd feel pretty awful if my only friends treated me like that," he said quietly.

She was fighting to keep that smile now. "Y-You… you would?"

"Yeah, I would. And you know what? It'd be completely okay, if I did feel that way. Because you can't be happy all the time. It's great to try and be, but that doesn't mean it isn't okay to be sad. In fact, I think I'd want a hug to try and feel a little better." He held out his arms. "You okay to make me feel a little better, Hermana?"

For a moment, she stared at him, dumbfounded that he would ask her such a thing. A second later, she had latched onto him like a koala. The strength of her hug caused Jeremy to flinch but he eased into it with a laugh.

"Okay, relax a little on the grip there," he said. He patted her back a couple of times but she said nothing.

Jeremy didn't know how long they stayed like that for but Hermana wasn't in a rush to break the hug and neither was he. He pondered how long it had been since someone had done something like this for her. Oddly enough, he found it was good for him too. The time he'd hugged Susie on the stairs, it was over quickly. It had still been nice, but he hadn't realised how much he'd needed something like this too.

When they broke apart, he found it a lot easier to smile. "There we go. Hey, I'm already feeling better."

"Me too." It was so quiet, he almost didn't hear it. "I-I mean, not that I need to feel better about anythin'. You're the one who needed it."

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for that, Hermy."

"Thank you, Jeremy." The smile she gave felt a lot more genuine now. "Guess you wanna go find the others now."

"And not spend time with the party queen? Come on, that's not even a choice," he grinned.

She perked up. "So, does this mean I get to keep you for the evening?"

"Just for tonight," he said, though he said it with a smirk. "Can't have you hogging me all to yourself. That's not fair on the others."

"Yeah, that's fair. Okay then! So, whatcha wanna do first?" she asked.

"How about you dig me out that pair of skates and show me what you can do?" he suggested. She squealed with joy. "There's just one last thing I want to ask. You said there were five of you, but now there's four. Did something happen?" he asked.

Hermana hesitated. "No. No, that was just me bein' silly. There's… only ever been four of us. Never five." As she said this, her eyes flickered a couple of times in one direction. The direction of Kid's Cove. "Is uh, that it?"

"Yeah, I think that's all I needed to know, for now," answered Jeremy.

His eyes lingered on the curtains before Hermana dragged him off, wondering what could be lurking away behind them.


	5. Guarded

**Guarded**

"So not much luck on info on your front then?" Susie asked Jeremy on the phone the following morning.

"Not really, aside from reinforcing what you told me at the start." The disappointment in Jeremy's voice was obvious. "They really don't want me going anywhere near Kid's Cove or Parts and Services. I don't even get a key for that one, someone else must have it. What was it you said, authorised engineers?"

"Yeah, but I don't know who they might be," she said. "There's no one among the regular staff that goes into that room, from what I know. I'll see if I can find out anything though."

"That'd be great," he said. "Next time I'm in there, I'm gonna check out Kid's Cove. At least that only has a curtain keeping me out. What's actually in there, do you know?"

"A few things. A ball pit, soft play area but the main thing in there is some kind of DIY construction thing for the toddlers to do. It's like parts from an old robot that they're allowed to mess around with. The employees all call it 'the Mangle' and parts of it look like a white, lady version of Foxy." She rolled her eyes. "Big eyelashes and lipstick because again, need to be sure people know it's a girl."

"But that can't be Vevina. These things have fluid running through them, they wouldn't just let them take her apart. That doesn't make any sense," he said.

"I know. I'm sorry, I don't know what else to tell you but if Hermana is telling you there's only ever been four of them and this AI doesn't like people going against him, then it's possible that maybe…" She struggled to find the right words. "Maybe she isn't around anymore."

"No, that can't be. Hermana was giving me a hint about Kid's Cove, I'm sure of it. I'm looking into it tonight. I can't afford to spend another night messing around," he said.

"I know, I agree. Even so, it was a good thing what you did for her," said Susie.

"Thanks, Susie."

"No problem. Okay, I need to get going. You be careful, okay?" she told him.

"Yeah, same to you. Good luck, Susie."

"You too," she replied and hung up, taking a deep breath. This really wasn't an easy thing they were doing…

"Who was that?" Susie whirled around to see Wendy, watching her in the kitchen. "Who were you talking to?"

Susie mentally cursed herself. How long had she been listening for?

"Um, just someone from work," she said quickly. "He just started, got the night guard job."

"I see," Wendy said slowly. "He just joined and you already have his phone number?"

"Well, you know me. Social butterfly and all. Right, I need to be getting off to work. Have a nice day, Wendy!" she said quickly.

She grabbed her jacket and hurried out of the door before Wendy could say anything else. She waited until she was down the street before looking back and letting out a breath again. That had been a little too close for her liking. Hopefully, she hadn't overheard anything else.

On a normal day of work, Susie would usually be getting on with things. Greeting customers, dealing with complaints, chatting with other staff members. She came in, she did her thing and she finished up, trying to enjoy herself a little on the way.

Today was different. After having learned who they were, she was watching the five ex-guards as much as she could, leaning around the door into the Games Room when she had a moment of quiet. She'd done her homework from reading the articles about them, but she had to know their place in the restaurant so she could approach them more effectively. It had to be carefully considered.

Ernest and Stuart were both waiters and the two had a different way of doing things. Ernest was generally friendly, but not the best when it came to being under a lot of pressure. But she could tell he was trying to work as hard as he could. Stuart was the opposite. He seemed to leave Ernest to deal with the harder stuff and focus on the easier points. She didn't see much of Jenny, if at all. She must work somewhere else in the restaurant, off the floor.

Gordon was a rather isolated entity. He alternated between the security office and the Games Room, spending more time at the former than the latter. He also didn't interact much with the others beyond a friendly nod and a smile, with one exception: the group's supposed leader. She saw very little of Daniel. The times she did, he always came through the front door, dressed in his purple driver's uniform with a jacket and hat. He didn't look up at her and would make straight for the security office or the break room. If Gordon was on the Game Room floor, the two of them would briefly engage in what appeared to be conversation, although Gordon didn't seem to say anything. He would do the same with the others, but Gordon was always the first.

Not really enough to be going on yet. She had a couple of ideas as to whom she might need to keep an eye on, but she couldn't say anything for definite either. If she wanted to know more, she'd have to get it straight from the horse's mouth. Armed with all the information she had collected so far, Susie strode into the breakroom at lunchtime with purpose.

She spied Ernest and Stuart sitting in their usual seats. Susie took a breath and put on her best smile.

"Hey there!" she greeted. "Am I okay to sit with you guys?"

The two men were taken aback from this deviation in routine, but Stuart was the first to recover with a sleazy smile.

"Hey, you're the cutie on the front desk. Sure you can sit with us." He patted the spot next to him. "Here's comfy."

"Great!" Susie took one opposite the two instead, relishing the disappointment that flashed on Stuart's face. "I'm Susie, it's good to meet you."

"Well Susie, my name is Stuart and it's great to meet you." He gripped her hand and gave another smile. "So what are you doing after work?"

"Going home to my girlfriend," she said brightly.

Stuart raised his eyebrow. "Oh, so you walk both sides of the street then?"

"Nope," replied Susie. "And what's your name?"

Ernest jumped a little at being addressed. "Oh! I-I'm Waitest. I-I mean, I'm Earner. I-I mean… can I start over?"

"Sure you can," she said kindly. Not too dissimilar from Mike, she thought, though he was perhaps even more jittery.

"Thanks. I-I'm Ernest." He nervously shook her hand. "I'm a uh, a waiter. That's what I wanted to say before, I just got uh, got mixed up."

"Well, we got there eventually," remarked Stuart with a laugh. "Sorry about this guy, it usually takes a while for him to get anything out, if at all."

Ernest squirmed in his seat and clamped his mouth shut.

Susie just shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that. Better to take more time with what you want to say than to say it before you've really thought about it, right Stuart?"

Stuart frowned. "Not sure I get what you mean."

"Really? Oh well, never mind," she said.

"Hello boys, sorry I'm late," came a weary woman's voice. Jenny took the seat next to Ernest. "Hitting on another poor unfortunate, Stu? I thought what we had was special."

"Oh it is, Jen," he said quickly. "Does that mean you've reconsidered going out with me?"

"Not in the least. I just don't want anyone else being made to suffer the consequences," she returned. She gave Susie a sympathetic look. "Sorry you have to bear the weight of my actions."

"Don't worry, it's nothing to do with you. He's a big boy, I'm sure he can make his own decisions," said Susie.

Jenny laughed appreciatively. "I'm not sure I completely agree with that, but I'll take it."

"Hey, it's your loss, ladies," Stuart said casually. "There's plenty of others out there who'd be happy to have me."

"That's the spirit!" said Susie.

He gave her an easy grin. To his credit, Stuart didn't seem too put-down by their comments. Though Susie couldn't really say that was a good thing.

"I'm Jenny, by the way. What made you want to join the black sheep today?" she asked, offering her hand to Susie which she shook.

"Susie and I thought I should just make an effort. I need to get to know everybody here a little better and you guys are always sat here on your own. I figured I'd come over here and fix that," she said.

"That's really nice of you. I have to admit, I'm glad to have another lady to talk to, especially someone who can cope with this guy," she said, jerking a thumb at Stuart.

"I'm always happy to have another lady join us too, even if I have to be looking from the other side of the street," remarked Stuart.

"W-Wait a sec," said Ernest quietly. "I-I think I-I've met you before."

"Oh really?" Susie asked. This was promising. "Where do you think?"

"Ernie," said Jenny gently but with a faint hardness to her tone, "what are you talking about?"

"Um… I think it w-was when I-I was at-"

"Nah, I think you're getting a little mixed up there, buddy." Stuart clapped a hand on Ernest's back, almost making him fall off the chair. "I think you probably have one of those faces that just looks familiar. Right, Jen?"

"Yeah, that's what it is," she agreed quickly. "But it's good to meet you anyway, Susie."

"You too," she said, trying not to let her suspicion of their odd behaviour show. "Well, you all know what I do. You see my face every day you come in through the front door, but what do you guys do here? I know Ernest here is a waiter."

"Guilty as charged on that front too," said Stuart. "I basically help keep this place together."

"How, by having your ass keep the chairs fixed to the floor?" asked Jenny.

He pointed a finger at her. "Hey, I do plenty of work. It just takes it out of a guy, you know?"

"That doesn't stop Ernest from doing his best and then some," praised Jenny.

"I-I wouldn't s-say that," he mumbled, though Susie could see his smile.

"I would," said Jenny. "I can't claim the same prestige as these two though. My domain is the top floor, with our illustrious leader. I'm his office secretary."

"Gotta love how times have changed for us girls, eh?" said Susie, making mental note of that particular piece of information.

"Tell me about it. At least my boss isn't some disgusting jerk who makes every pass at his pretty, young secretary that he can. Oh wait," she deadpanned.

"Yeesh, Jen," said Susie sympathetically. "Where were you before that you have to put up with that now?"

"Hmm, nowhere special," she answered. "I've done a few different things, mostly just variations of desk work."

"Nothing else other than that?" asked Susie.

Jenny shook her head. "Not really. Why?"

"No reason, just curious. What about you two?" she asked the men.

"Yeah, same as Jen. Nothing really worth talking about. Work is work, it sucks whatever job it is you do," replied Stuart.

Ernest just mumbled something about working here and there. Susie suppressed her frustration. They really didn't want to discuss anything to do with Freddy's. But she had to get something from them, so she returned her attention back to Jenny.

"So you're the secretary?" Susie asked Jenny. "That means it's your voice I've been hearing whenever I need to buzz someone in. If I'd known you were as great as your voice makes you sound, I would have come up and met you sooner."

"As much as I would have loved that, you would have only been disappointed. Unless you know the door's code or you have a meeting with the big man, no one else is allowed upstairs other than me or the boss." She said the last word with evident disdain in her voice.

"That truly is a shame," agreed Susie. She glanced at the clock. Only about twenty minutes left. She had to steer this to more relevant waters. "Oh well, at least people like the new night guard get to have the privilege."

"Can't say I envy that guy," said Stuart. "I'd hate to be stuck in this place after dark with those… _things_."

"Stuart," said Jenny, "you know these performers aren't like the other ones at you-know-where. They're different."

He waved his hands. "I know, I know but they still give me the creeps. Like when we had to deal with the Freddy's ones when we-"

"Stuart!" hissed Jenny. She jerked her head at Susie but the damage had already been done.

Though an uncomfortable atmosphere had settled over them, internally Susie was grateful. She was worried she'd have to bring on the subject of that herself but Stuart had done it for her.

"So you guys worked at Freddy's? Hey, so did I!" she said. "I thought you looked familiar too but I couldn't quite place you. What did you do?"

All three of them exchanged awkward looks. Ernest stared at the floor. Stuart's eyes were darting around the room. Jenny was biting her lip. The tension was broken somewhat by the arrival of another member of their group. Jenny quickly took the opportunity to divert attention.

"Oh hey Gordon! All going well?" she asked.

The man nodded silently with a smile, then looked at Susie in confusion.

"Hey, I'm Susie. I was just talking to these guys. Nice to meet you, Gordon," she said and held out a hand.

He looked at it for a moment, then shook it with a nod. He tapped his throat once and shook his head.

"Not a talker? That's fine by me. Your friends were just telling me that they used to work at Freddy's, like I did. I was on the front desk there too. They were about to tell me what they did," she explained.

Gordon frowned at Susie, turning to glare at the other three. Only Jenny met his gaze.

"I know, I know but you can thank this blabbermouth for bringing it up," she indicated Stuart. She looked at Susie. "We're… not really supposed to talk about it but… we all used to be night guards."

"Oh yeah, the place always had trouble holding one down for a while before we got our regular guy. The ones before only stuck around for one night," she said.

"Yeah, well we weren't sticking around for any of that," muttered Stuart.

"How come? What happened?" asked Jenny.

"Why are you pretending like you don't know?" a harsher voice asked behind her.

She whipped around to see Daniel, arms folded and a very unpleasant look on his face. Susie flashed her best smile regardless.

"Oh sorry, didn't see you there. I'm-"

"Susie, front desk girl, I know," he said impatiently and batted away her outstretched hand. "Don't think I don't know what your game is. You know exactly who we are and what we did. You're just over here, trying to get some juicy gossip from us, the ex-guards of Freddy's."

Susie held up her hands defensively. "Hey, take it easy. I was just introducing myself and making conversation."

"And you just happened to pick the only people in this restaurant with known notoriety. That's pretty convenient," he retorted. "Jenny just told you how we don't talk about what happened there and you went and asked anyway."

"Hey, yeah!" Stuart was on his feet now and pointing accusingly at her. "You deliberately bought up the night guard thing to get it out of us. You tricked me!"

"No, that was all you but he's not wrong," agreed Jenny. "You do seem pretty keen on finding out about our past with Freddy's."

Neither Gordon, nor Ernest said anything. The latter was keeping eyes fixed on the floor, while the former was silently staring her down. Susie could have tried to placate them further but she had a feeling it wouldn't do her much good at this point.

"Okay then." She stood up to leave. "I'm sorry for bothering you all. You have a good day."

She walked away, ignoring the eyes that followed her who overheard Daniel's tirade and went to sit with Ken.

"What did I tell you?" Ken placed a hand on her shoulder, looking in the direction of the ex-guards. "Best thing is to keep out of their way."

She didn't respond to his words. She just quietly ate her lunch, feeling the hostile stares of the five of them behind her until she went back to the front desk.

Susie moaned as she leaned back in her chair. There was no way any of them would be willing to talk about their previous run-ins with Freddy's now or about anything really, they'd all be on lockdown. Jenny was probably her best bet at confirming the location of the tape. If she wanted to get the information she needed, she would have to go at it from a different angle. She needed more information.

To Susie, there was something to be gained by exploring more about their involvement at Freddy's and the fallout of recent events. It was clear that Ernest and Jenny, perhaps Stuart, seemed conflicted about the whole thing but she wouldn't be able to get it out of them and the newspapers didn't cover the whole story. She had to find out more about what happened at the initial break-in…

It came to her in that moment. An idea so great and so obvious that she both grinned and slapped her forehead at the same time. How had she not thought of this sooner? Someone else had been there that night and though it might be awkward to do, he would be able to tell her his side of the story.

She went to her supervisor and asked if she could have the day-off tomorrow. Though he was somewhat annoyed that this was short notice, he said to her that it wouldn't be a problem.

"Doing anything in particular?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing much," she shrugged. "I just need to pay an old friend a visit."

He just shrugged. He hadn't really cared about her reason, he was just being polite but it didn't matter to Susie. She'd gotten what she needed and hopefully, this idea she had would do the same.

As she went back to the front desk, she happened to bear witness to something on the restaurant floor. A couple of kids were getting into a scuffle, parents nowhere to be found. From the look of it, it was a bigger kid picking on the little one.

"What's the matter?" the bigger one sneered. "You gonna cry cause I took your toy?"

"It's mine! Give it back!" he cried.

No one was stepping in. It wasn't Susie's job, but she had half a mind to do something herself. That is, until Gordon arrived. He came storming out of the security room corridor and yanked the toy from the older kid's hand.

"What the-? Hey what gives!" he demanded.

Gordon didn't say anything. He folded his arms and glared with a ferocity that surprised Susie. The bigger boy seemed to feel the same, as he took a step back from the man before running off.

The smaller boy was in awe. "Wow. Thanks, mist-"

But he didn't get to finish before Gordon shoved the toy back into his hands and walked away. Susie managed to catch up with him before he left.

"Hey," she said, "that was a good thing you did back there. Nice work."

Gordon only glanced back at her, then turned to look at her fully. His expression was unreadable, his gaze scrutinising. For a brief moment, Susie felt like this had been a bad idea. It was something in his eyes…

But then it passed. He gave her a brief smile and a nod. Now that she was close, she noticed he wore quite a high-collared shirt. Even so, she could make out something on his neck. A small patch of skin that was a lot redder than the rest.

She remembered herself and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I ended up staring there. I just happened to notice, well, your neck. I hope it's not too bad."

Gordon hurriedly pulled up his collar, gave her a glare and turned to leave. He paused to let a kid run past, who almost knocked into him. His body seemed to tense from the contact and he quickened his pace to get back. Susie watched him go, then returned back to her desk. It was probably nothing. He was the security guard after all, it probably got tiring dealing with that kind of thing and he obviously didn't like to have whatever was wrong with his neck talked about. Even so…

The rest of the day passed without too much incident. She continued to watch the ex-guards as much as she could but they were onto her now. If they caught her looking, they quickly break her line of sight and go off to do something else. She was itching for tomorrow now and was relieved when her shift was finally over. She sent Jeremy a good luck text as she left work and made her way back home.

Wendy didn't say much to her when she came in that night. Then again, that wasn't different to how she usually behaved these days. It could just be her being paranoid, but Susie felt like her partner was watching her with more scrutiny than usual. But if she had any suspicions, she didn't make them known.

It was only when she was going up to bed that Wendy actually said something to her beyond 'hello' and to tell her dinner was ready.

"Susie, is everything okay?" she asked.

Susie, who was on her laptop again, met her eyes. Under normal circumstances, Susie would have taken the question at face value but she couldn't. She felt like this was some kind of test. Had she overheard something from this morning and this was a way to determine the truth? Wendy had never really been direct about this kind of thing. She always quietly watched, determining in her mind the best thing to do before acting.

Even if that was the case, Susie couldn't tell her what she was doing. Not the whole truth anyway.

"Everything's fine. It's just work, you know? With what happened at Freddy's a while ago, it's just been hard getting back into the groove with this new place." She offered a smile. "But I'm okay. I think I'm managing."

Wendy appeared to consider before returning one of her own. "Okay. I understand." She paused. "I think sometime soon… we should have a talk about what happened a month ago. A proper one."

"I'd like that," Susie agreed. "Goodnight, Wendy."

"Goodnight, Susie. I love you," she said.

"I know."

Wendy sighed. "Just for once, can you not quote Star Wars at me when I do that?"

"Not today. But I love you too," she replied. "I'll be up in a bit."

Wendy nodded and went upstairs to their room.

Susie felt like scum. She hated having to lie to her. Well, it wasn't a complete lie but it was enough. She longed to involve her, to let her know she was fixing the mistake she'd made in Wendy's eyes. But she couldn't. Even though she'd never believe Susie if she did tell her.


	6. Mangled Meeting

**Mangled Meeting**

The first thing Jeremy did, upon arriving in the security office, was check the monitor he'd been given. If there was something in Kid's Cove, this would show him. Only it didn't. When he brought up the camera where the Cove should have been, he was met with static. Flicking back and forth didn't work, nor did turning the monitor on and off.

They really didn't want to see what was in that Cove, which meant the only way to check would be in person. He just had to find a way to get in there without being noticed…

"Heeeeeeey Jeremy!" greeted Hermana as she skated up to meet him. "Hope you're ready to get your skates on again tonight."

"Actually, Hermana, I thought we might play something else tonight," said Jeremy. "How about a good old game of Hide and Seek?"

She squealed in delight. "That sounds like a great idea! I love Hide and Seek! I tried playing it with the others once and I was amazin' at it. They could never find me and I always found them super quickly. It's like they weren't even tryin'!"

"Then you should be pretty good. Okay, you start off in here and count while I go and hide," he said. "And you gotta give me plenty of time to hide, okay? I might not be as good as you and I don't know this place as well as you."

"Okay then, sounds fair! I'll give you a good thirty seconds and then I'll be comin' to getcha!" she sang.

She turned to face the wall and loudly started to count. Jeremy didn't waste any time and set off running down the corridor to the Games Room. He knew exactly where to go, but it wasn't to hide. He walked right up to the entrance of Kid's Cove.

Jeremy stopped only to look to his left when a familiar sound met his ears. A music box, playing its eerie tune. It was coming from the corner of the room, where the Prize Corner desk was. Alongside the desk itself and the many plushies on the shelf, there was a great big box against the wall. It was blue with a purple ribbon, large enough to contain a person. Briefly, Jeremy was curious about its contents but put it out of his mind. He was on a timer.

He slipped through the middle of the curtains and entered Kid's Cove. The brief burst of light from the Games Room served to illuminate his surroundings for a moment before plunging him into darkness again. They really didn't want him to see what was back here. He pulled the flashlight from his belt and shone it around the room.

What struck Jeremy about the colour of this room and the entire restaurant was for all of their talk of not wanting to be like Freddy's, they did a whole lot to evoke that imagery. The greyish white walls, the chequered floor tiles that were cleaned to a mirror shine. The pizza decorations and the balloons attached to the pile of presents in the corner, a table laden with party hats. But whereas Freddy's had real spirit and a sense of welcoming cosiness, the Fun Palace just felt like a hollow imitation.

He walked into the room's centre, noting the small soft play area with various arches and blocks for the toddlers to move and clamber over. Next to that was the ball pit. No sign of any other synth or anything like one of them but this had to be the place. If Vevina was going to be anywhere, she had to be in here.

Then he saw it. Right at the back of the room. From a distance, it looked like a weird modern art sculpture made of metal. A feeling of dread entered the pit of his stomach and only grew as he got closer.

Slowly, Jeremy approached the mass of metal and crouched to one knee, shining his light over it. He barely knew where to begin. It had a body, at least it looked like a body. It stretched and twisted in bizarre ways. He counted two legs. Wait no, three legs and one of them had an arm sprouting off it. Another arm had been attached to the neck, alongside a naked endoskeleton head with only one eye. A second head came off where it looked like an arm should be and even had a red bow-tie attached along its very long neck. The white fox head at the end of it had only one eye as well. There was no other way to put it: this thing really was a mangle of parts.

But it looked like it was just a robot. No synthetic flesh or sign that there was anything inside this thing. It was an animatronic. A very abused one, but even so. So where was the genuine article? Where was Vevina? He recalled Susie's words but he still refused to believe them. There had to be more to this.

Something caught his eye. Had it been a trick of the light or had the arm on the neck twitched? A click. The sound of metal parts moving or his shoes on the floor? Jeremy started to stand. Time to get out of here.

He cried out. Something had clamped onto his leg. His flashlight beam illuminated the head with the fox mask. It was looking right at him. Limbs were contorting and twitching. The yellow lights of their eyes pierced the dark. The Mangle was awake.

Jeremy kicked out with his foot, but it wasn't letting go. The other hand shot forward, grabbing his right arm and lifting him off the ground. It looked like all the different parts were still trying to work out how to move together. Jeremy didn't want to be here when they got it figured.

He tried again to wrench his arm out and managed to get his leg out when the original hand let go. But it just moved to grab his left arm instead.

"Get off me!" he yelled. "Let go of me!"

An odd, groaning noise came from one of the heads. It looked like it was shaking a lot more than the other parts. It was almost hard to tell over the clanking metal and grinding parts but Jeremy could hear it. A voice.

"No… no, he doesn't… I won't let you-!" The head let out a loud, piercing shriek and gazed up at him. "I'm… I'm sorry!"

"Oh good for you, great!" shouted Jeremy. "How about you show me how sorry you are and let me go!"

The voice didn't respond. The Mangle only gripped him more tightly, making Jeremy cry out from the pressure constricting his arms. He kept up his struggles. He wasn't going to die, not like this.

Light suddenly burst into the room as the curtains were thrown back again.

"Jeremy! Oh gawd, no!" cried Hermana.

"What was he thinking?! You get the right arm, I'll get the left!"

Jeremy was surprised. That was Clyde's voice. He almost didn't recognise it because it sounded like he gave a damn. He looked around to see the two of them jump up and grab a hold of the Mangle's arms, fighting against the pull.

"Don't worry, Jeremy! We'll get you down!" called Hermana.

Clyde didn't say anything but continued in his efforts. The head of the Mangle, the one the voice had come from, locked its eyes on him. Jeremy could see the 'eyelid' furrow in anger.

"You… _you_…!"

For a moment, Jeremy saw Clyde freeze. He could only just see a look of shock on his face. Shock, mingled with shame.

"Vev…" It was barely a whisper but Jeremy still heard it. "I…"

"YOU!" It directed one at Hermana as well, who shrieked in terror. "Cowards! Wretches! Traitors! You're DEAD!"

The mass of limbs writhed in fury as the white head screeched. It was a horrendous sound that added to the horrendous symphony of clanking and creaking.

Luckily, they didn't stick around long enough to see it. In that moment, the two synthetics managed to wrench him free from the Mangle's grasp and Hermana caught him in her arms. She hurriedly skated out. Jeremy looked back to see Clyde duck under a swipe from the Mangle as it scuttled after him like a bizarre crab. He dived through the curtain, landing flat on his face. He scrambled on the ground, putting as much distance between it and him as possible.

Jeremy's eyes locked on the curtain, waiting for the Mangle to follow them out. It had stopped just short of the curtain's border but didn't go beyond it. It was still roaring and writhing, making Jeremy tense in Hermana's arms.

"Relax, idiot," said Clyde. "It won't follow us past the curtain. It's not allowed to."

The Mangle's head alternated between Clyde and Hermana. When it tried to step beyond the curtain, it would flinch. The head would yell and the mass would back away. Eventually, it backed off. The endo head was looking at the corner they started from, directing the body to it but the fox head never stopped staring at Clyde.

Jeremy could hear the metal sounds gradually dying down and the two lights of the Mangle's mismatched eyes lowering back to the ground. All of them sighed with relief and Jeremy rubbed the spots on his arms it had a hold of him. Jeez, these things had a grip.

"That was close," he said. "Feel free to put me down now, Hermy."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Jeremy!" She planted him back on the ground. "Are you okay?"

"You mean aside from the fact I just got attacked by the robot baby Frankenstein didn't want?" he remarked. "Yeah sure, I'm doing great."

"It was your own fault," said Clyde. "No one made you go back there, you weren't supposed to be back there so what's the best idea? Go right on in there, why didn't I ever think of that?"

Jeremy folded his arms. "Yeah, sure, the night guard isn't allowed back there but toddlers that go right up to that thing and play with it? Seems legit."

"Don't call her that," snapped Clyde. "I don't have to take this. I'm gone." He stalked off towards the party rooms. "You're welcome, by the way!"

"Bye Clyde!" called Hermy. "Whew, that was a close one, huh Jeremy? Lucky you had us around to pull you outta there."

"Yeah, it was," murmured Jeremy absently.

"I mean, when I realised where you'd gone, I got scared. Like, really scared," she continued. "When you said we should play hide and seek, I didn't think you'd go and hide in there. You silly goose! I told you you're not supposed to go in there!" She laughed shrilly. "Well, I hope you found whatchu were lookin' for and we won't say no more about it. How about we play somethin' else instead?"

He nodded vaguely. "Uh huh. Look, Hermana, I'm gonna go and have a talk with Clyde. Are you okay looking after yourself tonight?"

"Awww, but Jeremyyyy," she whined.

"Come on, I already said last night that it wasn't fair if you're the only one who gets to spend time with me," he said, folding his arms.

"But Clyde's boooooring. All he ever does is complain and lounge around at night and act all mean whenever I try to get him to lighten up a little," she said with a pout.

"Well, maybe I can talk him into having a little bit more fun, like you do," he replied. "Just let me try, okay? I'll give you a hug before I go and we can do something tomorrow night."

Hermana frowned as she considered this offer. She sighed good naturedly and allowed Jeremy to hug her again.

"Good luck," she whispered and then louder. "Okay, Jeremy, but I don't know what you're gonna do. Like I said, Clyde's pretty cagey. Maybe if you can find somethin' interestin' to talk about, that might help."

"Interesting?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think he likes weird discussions about different things. But I can't really say, he never really did it with me. I'll see you later!"

"Alright. And Hermy?" He smiled at her. "Thanks."

Hermana looked genuinely surprised by this. She didn't respond verbally, but she did return his smile and nodded. She skated off elsewhere while Jeremy set off to find Clyde. Despite his brush with the Mangle, he finally felt like he was getting somewhere. To her credit, Hermana did seem like she was trying to help him along. First the hint about Kid's Cove, then the nudge about Clyde. Jeremy understood she couldn't be overtly helpful or else she'd get in trouble but it was still appreciated. He had gotten a lot already.

For one, even though it wasn't a synth, the Mangle was clearly Vevina in some form. He didn't know if she still had a body like the others or she'd become a disembodied AI like Goldie and shoved into the animatronic but it was definitely her. Something had gone down between them, given her reaction to Clyde and Hermana. But she hadn't been willing to hurt him. She was being forced to, no doubt by this rival AI that Jeremy still knew very little about. Maybe that would be something else Clyde could shine a light on.

Then there was Clyde himself. Despite being a guy who preferred to take it easy, he hadn't hesitated to save Jeremy from the Mangle. Even if he was a jerk, Jeremy did owe him that much. Bearing in mind what Hermana had told him, Jeremy thought of how best to approach this. So far, he'd only responded to Clyde by arguing with him, though he seemed to enjoy it as much as he was irritated by it. Probably because it gave him an excuse to act all mean, as Hermana described. Jeremy didn't have a problem with that. He could banter with the best of them. It was just about finding the right balance so as not to actually annoy him.

Jeremy found Clyde in one of the party rooms. The room was in a state of disorganisation. Chairs had been pulled out and left on the floor, party hats were either on their sides or on the ground and his performing suit was lying in pieces all over the place. The synth himself was reclined on a chair, teetering on two legs with his feet propped on the table.

He looked up lazily as Jeremy entered. "Oh, look who it is. Stepping into more places no one asked you or wanted you to enter in the first place. Can't fault you for being inconsistent, I guess."

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," said Jeremy. "You say you want less to do at night and yet you end up coming to save me. I thought it didn't matter what I thought of you?"

"It doesn't. It's just it'd be more of a hassle if you ended up in little bits than if you didn't," he retorted. "I was saving myself future work by doing something now so I would not have to do it later."

"Oh so you're still being lazy, it's just on a grander scale?" asked Jeremy.

"See? You're getting it now. It's all about seeing the big picture," he said, gesturing with his hand like he was marvelling at a canvas.

Jeremy nodded. "It's certainly a thing of beauty. Even so, you're right. You did save me back there, so thanks for that."

"No big deal," he shrugged. "You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that."

"Appreciated. Room for one more?" he asked.

"So long as you don't say anything about what just happened there, sure," he shrugged.

"Thanks," said Jeremy as he took a seat. That statement was a bit of a blow but maybe he could turn things around. "So, what do you do when you're like this?"

"You're looking at it," replied Clyde.

Jeremy arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Well, usually I'm napping too but it's a little difficult under the circumstances," said Clyde pointedly.

"That can't be all there is that you want to do. Come on, what else do you like to do?" He nodded to the guitar that had been left on the ground. "You play?"

"Not really. That's daytime stuff," he said dismissively. "Look, you don't have to be here, kid."

Jeremy was starting to get a little annoyed at the synth's apathy. He recalled what Hermana had advised him before. He racked his brains, trying to think of something interesting and thought again of his brother. He remembered the hypothetical discussions that they used to have about all sorts of weird subjects. It was worth a try.

"Okay," said Jeremy, "would you rather fight a hundred duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?"

That made him look up. "Huh. Not heard that one before."

"Yeah? So, horses or duck?" he repeated. "Me personally, I'd fight the duck. You get more street cred for something like that."

"Come on, man," he scoffed, "ducks are vicious enough in their current size. I'm not fighting a supersized one. I'd go for the horses. It's easier to squish them."

"True but there's a lotta them," noted Jeremy. "Horses can do some real damage with their legs and hooves. Imagine a hundred of those coming at you."

"Just get somewhere high, they can't do much if they can't reach me," countered Clyde. "Then I can just punt the little guys as far as I like."

"You know that each of those horses are something, like, ten pounds each right? That's a lot you need to punt, it's like a hundred bowling balls," said Jeremy.

"Maybe that's a lot for you. Not exactly human, in case you forgot," he said, waggling his rabbit ears for emphasis.

"Oh yeah, you're a twisted freak of nature, I forgot," said Jeremy.

"Excuse me. That's twisted, well-dressed freak of nature, thanks," he retorted. "So you're okay with taking on a giant duck?"

"I don't know if 'okay' is the right word but come on. Imagine if you managed to beat something like that," he said.

"You're assuming that you will beat it," said Clyde.

"I could do it. At least there's only one of them," said Jeremy.

"True, but I'm assuming we don't have weapons in this scenario," said Clyde. "So what are you going to fight it with, other than a plucky attitude and a can-do spirit?"

"I don't know but I'd figure something out."

"Wow. Good plan there, let me know how that works out." Despite the obvious sarcasm, Clyde was still smiling. Finally, a point of connection.

They continued their debate for a while, along with a few other ones. Picking between having a T-rex or a tank on your side in a war or where would they hide from zombies. Clyde's answers usually surprised Jeremy. Though they were arguably the easier choices in the scenarios, they also made practical sense. For example, when it came to zombies, he'd just go somewhere high like an attic and pull up the ladder or wreck the stairs.

Even though this was fun, Jeremy had to work out how to bring up the topic of what had just happened with the Mangle. Hermana had known the best way to approach Clyde. Perhaps that was something.

"You're getting pretty into these. I used to do this kind of thing with someone close to me," said Jeremy.

"Oh yeah, I had debates like this all the time with…" He trailed off and looked away sullenly. "Whatever, I haven't done it for a while is the thing."

"You mean you never did it with any of the others?" asked Jeremy.

Clyde made a noise with his lips in dismissal. "Yeah, I don't think so. Dear old Ted is too much of a stiff and Hermana just talks and talks and never lets a word in edgewise. Nice to know you're good for something, kid."

"Glowing praise. I guess the little kid with the balloons isn't much for it either and you're not exactly conversations with the Mangle, are you?" said Jeremy with a laugh.

At the mention of the Mangle, Clyde looked away again and muttered something in agreement. That was as good of an indicator as anything to Jeremy.

"I know what you said before but I have to say it, that thing really threw me through a loop. I'd have been a goner if it weren't for you and Hermana," said Jeremy.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," he said irritably.

"I know I'm not supposed to be in there but I couldn't really help myself. That was one hell of a surprise though," he said. "The only one of you that's an animatronic. That was surprising."

"Surprising yeah, now shut up about it," Clyde said.

"I thought I had you guys all figured out, but I guess not. It kind of sticks out that there's one of you that's actually just a robot. I'd have thought it'd be different, but I guess not," he shrugged.

Clyde whipped his head around to Jeremy. "What's that meant to mean?"

Jeremy kept his voice casual. "You know, that there's an animatronic. A busted up animatronic that came right out of a horror movie but still. Man, that thing was freaky though. All of those limbs sticking out everywhere and they let toddlers play with it? That really is something."

"Stop talking about her like that," growled Clyde.

"So it's a she? I wouldn't have thought to look at it. Sorry, her," he said as an afterthought. "I didn't know you gave genders to mixed-up Frankenbots."

"I said stop it!" Clyde was on his feet.

"Hey, calm down. No need to get so worked up about the only animatronic. It's just a robot, not like you guys are," he said.

"Don't tell me what to do, kid! You don't know a damn thing!" he shouted.

Jeremy stood up too, not looking away from his fierce gaze. "Okay, so what don't I know? Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Because that 'thing' is all that's left of my best friend so how about you quit talking about stuff you don't understand!"

"Best friend?" Jeremy arched his eyebrow now. "Is that a fact?"

Too late, Clyde seemed to have realised his mistake. He made a few attempts to cover it up, but trailed off every time. Jeremy pressed his advantage.

"I heard when you were talking. You called her Vev and she seemed pretty mad at you and Hermana when you came in. She didn't want to hurt me, but she seemed pretty intent on hurting you. So, are you going to tell me what's up?" he asked.

"Why should I?" Clyde didn't meet Jeremy's eyes. He alternated between them and a spot on the floor. "Not like it's going to make a difference."

"Try me," offered Jeremy.

Clyde finally made prolonged eye contact. Jeremy knew that look that was in them. It was the same one he'd been seeing in the mirror every day since his brother had gone.

"Vevina. Her name is… was Vevina," he began. "She was the best of all of us. Ted likes to think he's in charge but we all knew it was Vevina who really took that position by a longshot. She could actually command respect, but she also knew how to have fun. Never let anybody tell her what to do."

"What happened?" asked Jeremy.

"Like I said, she never let anybody tell her what to do. Let's just say… somebody else didn't like that." He looked away again. "You want my advice, kid? Keep your head down. Don't make a fuss. It's easier that way. Not like it would make any difference anyway."

"Do you really believe that?" Clyde didn't respond to Jeremy's question. "Look, I think I know what you're going through."

"Oh yeah?" he challenged.

"Yeah. I don't know what went down in the end, but it wasn't your fault, Clyde. Whatever happened, you can't blame yourself for it." Jeremy's voice shook a little but he managed to control it. "You can't change what's already happened, but you can try and do right for what will happen. The way somebody else told me, you can either keep beating yourself up and really make no difference or you can use those feelings to try and make one yourself."

Clyde's expression softened. "Who was it? For you?"

"My brother," said Jeremy quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry…"

"He… he died and for the longest time, I blamed myself. I guess I still do, in a way," he added. "But I decided to try and do something about it because I know it's what he would want. I've never met Vevina but I bet she would be the same."

Clyde didn't say anything for the longest time. "She would be." He glanced around the room. "Look, what you need to understand is-"

"Clyde! There you are, you filthy layabout!" Theodore stormed into the room. "Lazing about, as usual. And how on earth did this party room get in such a state?!"

"Dunno what to tell you, Ted. I just came in here and before you know it, everything just ended up like this," he said, readopting his apathetic tone. "It's a real mystery."

"Hmph. I'll be expecting you to clean it up," Theodore said. "And for the last time, it's Theodore!"

"For the last time, I don't care and who's going to make me clean it up? You?"

"Don't try my patience!"

"Not like that takes a lot of effort."

"Why, you-!"

"Hey guys, guys, it's okay," said Jeremy. "I'll make sure this place is all cleaned up, don't worry."

"Will you now?" Theodore stared at Jeremy, before nodding his approval. "Good man, Jeremy. At least someone around here has an understanding of proper order."

"Well, I am the night guard. It's pretty much in the job description," he said.

"It's still a fine attitude to take anyway. You shouldn't be wasting time with this good-for-nothing lazybones. You should spend an evening with me. I can show you just how exemplary we can be," he boasted.

"Yeah, kid. Maybe you should hang around with Ted here. I bet he could tell you how things go around here." Jeremy frowned. Was it just a twitch or did Clyde wink at him when he said that?

"I think I'll take you up on that, Theodore," said Jeremy.

"Finally, somebody manages the necessary number of syllables!" Theodore cheered. "Sadly, I don't have the time tonight but tomorrow night, my boy, I'll show you what you've been missing out. Cheerio for now!"

He strode off with his already impressive chest puffed out and his head high. Clyde rolled his eyes at his retreating back.

"What a chump. Come on, I'll give you a hand here," he said.

"Doesn't mean exerting some effort?" teased Jeremy.

"Yeah, but then it means I don't have to do it later," returned Clyde.

"So, long term laziness?"

"You got it. Plus, it was my mess anyway." He glanced around again. "Do me a favour though. Whatever you wanted to know, save it for Ted huh? It's not easy talking about… her…"

"It's okay, man, I get it. I really do. So," he said, picking up a chair, "you're in a forest and find a briefcase with a million dollars and a bloody note that says 'don't'. What do you do?"


	7. On the Inside

**On the Inside**

Susie had considered telling Wendy that she had the day-off but had decided to keep it to herself. She had a feeling that would provoke too many questions from her. It was easier to make it look like she was going out to a normal day at work. Better to tell one silent lie than a whole lot of them.

Instead of taking her usual bus to work, she got on the transit bus that would take her to Greater Borealis, the big city to their sleepy town. Usually, a trip to the city would mean she had something fun in store for herself. A small shopping trip to second-hand movie stores for hidden gems, a little date with Wendy, but not this time. Instead, her journey would be taking her to the small prison just outside the city.

She gave Jeremy another phone call to exchange information and found him to be making progress too, just a different sort.

"Goldie was right about these guys being victims too," he said. "They've had some really messed up stuff done to them and they're scared. One way or another, I'm gonna get them and the original synths out of there. If I can find them, that is."

"Well, like you said, maybe Theodore will be able to help you out. That's the idea, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, 'cause I followed Hermana's tip and that got me to find out what happened with Vevina or at least part of it and gave me an in to connect with Clyde. If I do the same with Theodore like Clyde's hinting at, that might give me something else," he said.

"I hope it does. I can't believe that mess of parts can actually move and if Vevina is somehow stuck in there, that must be torture for her," she said.

He sighed. "Yeah, you're telling me. I was not expecting that when I went into Kid's Cove. Hey, that reminds me, I wanted to ask: what's in Prize Corner? In that big box, I mean?"

"I'm not really sure, I've not seen it. From what I've heard, there's meant to be some kind of surprise for kids in there if certain requirements are met or something. Plays a tinkly little tune like a jack-in-the-box and something comes springing out."

"So long as it doesn't come springing out at me, I'm fine. I've had enough surprises. And hey, sounds like you found a good lead with those guards. The one who works upstairs could give you a way to get up there," he said.

"She would if their fearless leader hadn't butted in," she muttered. "I'm hoping to turn up some more info today. Even then, I still wouldn't be able to get upstairs unless I know the code or I have a reason to be there and get let up. The door's in plain view so I can't just sneak up there, so the next best thing is to find a reason to be up there."

"That's not great. Hey, here's an idea. What if you gave them a reason?" he suggested.

Susie frowned. "How do you mean?"

"You know, make some trouble. I mean, that's pretty much what we're doing already but think about it. If Fritz is covering up something, he's not gonna like it when he finds out that you're sniffing around for answers. If you make enough of an impact, he might bring you up to the office himself and that gives you a way in to check the place out," explained Jeremy.

"Hey, that's actually a good idea. Hopefully, what I've got going on today will let me do just that," she said.

"Fingers crossed. And hey, when you see him… tell him I said hi, will you?" he asked.

"I will. Talk to you soon, Jeremy."

She hung up the line and let out a sigh. Needless to say, Susie was quite apprehensive. She tried to relax in her seat but she couldn't. She never had any reason to visit prison. Of course, she'd plenty of prisons in movies and TV shows. Usually abandoned prisons filled with ghosts and serial killers. But there was something about actually going to one that was a whole different experience than just watching it. The fact that she was going to be inside a building, filled with some of the worst examples of humanity didn't sit well with her at all. It was a little frightening.

Added to that was the reason why she was visiting. It had been almost a month since she'd last seen him and even though part of her was happy she would be, another was equally scared. Another thing that she'd seen in all those movies and shows was how prison apparently changed people and in most cases, not for the better. She didn't know what she was going to find, if it was still going to be the man that she knew or if he had somehow changed too. A mental image flashed in her mind of him covered in tattoos with massive arms that was so ridiculous she had to laugh, making a couple of others turn their heads.

She had to take another bus to actually get there. The building itself was what she expected. Chain link fence, barbed wire, a squat and ugly grey building with a small yard. Not exactly Shawshank but it was enough to remind her of where she was. When she arrived, she told them on the desk who she was visiting. They led her into the visiting room, which was lined up with those booths with the plate of thick glass and a phone for you to talk to the person on the other side. A few other people were in there too.

Susie took the one on the very end and waited. She glanced around the room. The panels next to her hid the other visitors and their prisoners from view but she could hear a man not too far away sobbing as he spoke to someone on the other side, telling them how much he missed them. Susie's heart went out to that person and despite her apprehension, she was reminded of the importance of her own mission.

A door on the other side opened and the prisoner was walked in. He took a seat opposite Susie and she couldn't help but smile. His eyes were more resigned than when she saw him last and looked as if he'd been sleeping rough. His stubble was growing out more and he looked peaky. Aside from all that, it was definitely still her friend, gazing out at her.

He picked up the nearby phone, his voice sounding like he could hardly believe who he was talking to.

"H-Hey, Susie."

"Hi, Mike." She pressed a hand against the glass. "It's so good to see you."

"You, too. Oh my god, I-I'm so happy it's…" His voice wavered and broke. He had to cover his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"No, don't be sorry." She wished she could give him the biggest hug right now. At least then she'd be able to hide the beginnings of her own tears. "Mike, I'm so sorry I haven't been in sooner. After everything that happened, there was so much to… I had to just…"

But none of the explanations sounded good enough, not now she was actually here. No matter how she might try and reason it or justify it, there was no changing the truth. She could have come to see him sooner but she didn't.

Mike didn't seem to care. "It doesn't matter. You're here now. I-I know I already said, but it really is good to see you, Susie."

"You too. Jeremy says hi, by the way," she added.

"Oh. T-Tell him I said hi back and that I-I'm sorry about his brother." Mike paused. "He… he doesn't think that I-?"

"No, he doesn't. How have you been holding up?" she asked.

"Not great. I mean l-like, really bad. Oh god, Susie it's h-horrible in here. I-I keep telling them that I d-didn't do it, but they d-don't believe me!" He stared desperately at her. "I didn't kill those kids, Susie! You have to believe me, I didn't-!"

"Mike, it's okay. I believe you," she said. "I know you didn't do it. Don't worry, we're working on it out here and your chances are looking golden."

This completely changed Mike's demeanour. He looked as if he could cry again, though not from despair.

"That's… oh, my god, she…" He let out a loud laugh. "When? When is it going to happen?"

"Soon. I can't promise anything at the moment, but there's something I need to know from you, Mike. It's really important to help us out," she said.

"Anything," he said at once.

"I need you to tell me what happened when those security guards broke in to Freddy's. I know how it sounds, but it will help. I promise," she said.

"Okay then." She could tell he thought it was odd, but he didn't question it. "W-Well, it was my mom who let them in. She was suspicious of the um… the performers a-and just the place in general. Thought she was helping, they told her th-they had the same suspicions she did. They wanted to gather evidence of their claims, told her they wouldn't hurt anyone. T-Took me and my dad by surprise."

"Your dad was there too?" she asked.

"Yeah. He used to be the old night guard before anyone else a-and he joined me when he was in town. Th-They held us at gunpoint. Their leader, Daniel, he was dead-set on getting what he w-wanted. Kept asking m-me for the truth. He…" Mike took in a breath and shuddered. "H-He… he threatened to shoot m-my dad if I didn't tell him."

Susie cupped a hand to her mouth. "Oh my… he actually did that?"

"He did. Almost did too. B-But I managed to trick him, get him into the back room and g-get the drop on him. W-We fought back, the performers mainly a-and then… then Daniel got really mad. H-He came at me with a knife, he was crazy. He said i-it was my fault, that I r-ruined everything. Luckily, Fox- I-I mean one of the performers stopped him. Managed to tackle him. After they realised they were beaten, they ran. I didn't know about what happened after until they got arrested for breaking into the warehouse."

"Okay," said Susie slowly. "So Daniel sounds like he was really off the rails."

"Oh he was, he really was," said Mike. "They tried to recruit me when I was coming home from work one night. He started off trying to be friendly, b-but as soon as he thought I might know something a-about Freddy's, his whole manner changed. K-Kept asking me what I knew a-and when I tried to run, he grabbed my arm to stop me leaving. I-It was only when the quiet guy w-with the glasses made him that he l-let me go."

"He really does sound like a piece of work," agreed Susie. "Why did he do it in the first place? What did he hope to gain?"

"They thought Freddy's was hiding some big secret they were determined to expose.

"What about the others, how did they act?"

He shook his head. "I-I can't really remember their names a-all too well. They all wore masks and followed his lead, kept an eye on all the performers. One of them was a woman, she was pretty okay. She had a camera phone, she had the job of filming everything for evidence. I-I think she tried to talk Daniel down when he started waving his gun around but I think e-even she was scared of him. So were the others, I think. S-Sorry but why do you need to know this stuff?"

"Because I'm working with them now, Mike. All five of them, they all work at the new restaurant. There's something weird going on with this whole thing and I think they're part of it," she said.

"I see." Mike's eyes suddenly widened. "Actually, I-I think you might be right about that. Before everything went down, I got handed a newspaper article. It said my uncle Fritz, h-he paid their bail and let them all out, gave them all jobs working for him. Something about giving them second chances or something. I thought it was weird, but it was definitely them."

"Yeah, I agree with you there," Susie said. "From what I've been told about your uncle, he doesn't really seem the type to be charitable."

"That was my thoughts too," he nodded. "Not only that but when the cops first brought me in, they said part of the evidence they had was that the five of them had given testimony against me. They didn't let me see, but they said that all of the performers were potentially dangerous because they attacked them when they broke in. And apparently, because I associated with them, that made me just as bad," he added darkly.

"Okay, that seems like too much of a coincidence. They get let out and then their testimony is used to get you put away? I don't think I need to tell you that something's off about this whole thing," said Susie.

"You're telling me," murmured Mike.

"What about the performers? How did they act?" she asked.

Mike glanced around at the guard, but he didn't seem to be really paying attention to their discussion. He kept checking his watch, no doubt seeing how long they had until he would take Mike back to his cell.

"What you said before, a-about my chances being golden. Do you… do you know?" he asked quietly.

"I do. I know everything, Mike," she said.

He nodded. "Are they… are they all okay?"

"We don't know yet. What we're doing to help you, it's going to help them too," she answered. "So tell me, what did they do?"

Mike looked like he wanted to follow up on that, but he managed to keep it down. They didn't have very long to do this.

"Well… they acted pretty much like you'd expect someone who's being threatened. They were scared b-but they did as they were told. Freddy, he kept trying to talk them down. When they saw their chance, they fought back b-but they were threatened first, it's not like how they think" he added quickly. "The worst it got was when one of them tackled Daniel, but that was to save me."

"I get it," she said. "I can't believe they've done this."

"Me neither." Mike glanced at the clock. "M-My time's almost up. I-I don't want to go back in there. Susie, you c-can't imagine what it's like."

"I can't, but don't worry, Mike. You won't be in here for too much longer, I promise," she said, fighting to keep her voice even.

"I hope so. L-Look, my dad's number is on my file. Get it from them, he can tell you more. Would you… would you tell him I love him? Mom too?" he asked.

"I will," she said. Their hands connected against the glass again. "Before long though, you should be able to tell him yourself."

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Susie."

They didn't say anything else until the guard came to take Mike away. For a moment, it looked like Mike might resist but he allowed himself to be chained up again and walked out. He kept stealing glances back at Susie who tried to convey as much as she could her encouragement to him. She watched until he was taken through the door and out of sight.

Susie stood up to leave, a few tears trickling down her face. On the one hand, she was relieved to know that Mike was still very much the same man he was before. But it made her heart break to see him like that and to know that, for now at least, there was nothing she could do to change the situation. She could only imagine how horrible it must be for someone who had somebody they cared about locked up in here and be utterly powerless to do anything about it. Even if some of them did deserve it, at the end of the day these were still people.

As she got the number for Mike's dad from the front desk, Susie only felt more determined. Unlike those other unfortunates, she had a chance to get her friend out of that place and she wasn't going to waste it. He hadn't been to trial yet and she was going to make sure that he was a free man before that ever came to pass. She had just gotten the number and turned when somebody else in the reception area addressed her.

"Oh hey, it's you," a bright voice said. "You're on the front desk at the Fun Palace, right?"

Susie had to take a moment to recall but she realised it was her. The woman from the Fun Palace who always came in. The one who always smiled at Susie but never said a word. Now that she was up close, Susie wasn't too ashamed to admit that she was even cuter. Chestnut hair cut in a pixie fashion. Pale skin, but less of a nerdy shut-in deal, more like sexy vampire. Her face was dotted with a number of freckles and she had a really nice smile. She also wore a t-shirt that had a quote she vaguely knew was from Star Trek.

"Oh hey, yeah. Hi!" Susie greeted. "Now this is a weird coincidence. Are you here visiting someone?"

"Yes. Well, maybe. I don't know, honestly," she said. "I'm kind of debating at the moment. It's become something of a ritual almost. I haven't really been able to yet. Does that sound bad?"

"Not really, I think I get it. I know its daunting but whoever they are, I'm sure they'll be happy to see a friendly face. It really makes a difference," said Susie.

"Hmm. I don't know, I'll think about it. But at least I got to bump into somebody interesting," the woman said brightly. "Interesting and pretty. Oh wait, did I say that out loud?"

"You did, but I'll forgive it. I'd be lying if I didn't think the same of myself. You're not so bad either." That got Susie a laugh from the woman that made her both delighted and ashamed that her stomach fluttered to hear it. "Nice to finally talk to you properly."

"Oh god yes, I'm so sorry I haven't until now. My job's pretty much a get in, do it and get out sort of deal. I would have _loved_ to stay and chat but they expect me back pretty sharpish when I'm done," she said rather rapidly.

"Don't worry about it. I usually end up being pretty busy anyway," said Susie. "Must be a pretty important thing you've got to do if you've got to be in and out that quick."

"Yeah, I come by to work on the robots so I'm stuck in the Parts and Services room all day. Don't get me wrong, I do love my job, but it gets pretty tiring with nobody to talk to and always being on the move."

"You don't say," said Susie, fighting to keep the grin off her face. "That sounds pretty cool. I'd love to find out about it sometime."

"I wish I could talk but you know, I can't really hang around during working hours," she said sadly.

"How about after working hours? I know a couple of good places to eat in the town," offered Susie.

"Are you… asking me out to dinner?" The woman's cheeks tinted a little. "Pretty forward and you haven't even told me your name."

"It's Susie. Susie Thompson," she answered. "And yours?"

"Lidiya Holland," she returned. "Well, now we know each other's names, I guess I have no choice."

"I guess not. I finish at five tomorrow and I'll see you in front of the restaurant not a minute later," said Susie.

"I won't be able to get there until six, but that still sounds great," said Lidiya.

Susie pretended to sigh melodramatically. "I suppose I can forgive your lateness. Six it is then." She pulled out her phone and held up her number. "Just let me know when you're there."

"Will do." Lidiya hurriedly typed in the number and tapped out a text that said 'see you then'.

"See you then," echoed Susie and stepped out of the prison.

She allowed herself to feel the elation at her unbelievable luck and fortitude, then the shame at having openly flirted with another woman. She began to ponder if it was best to keep this hidden from Wendy or find some way to tell her that this would just be a friendly get-together with a co-worker and nothing more. Just how many more lies was she going to have to tell her partner?

Susie did her best to put it out of her mind. Today was going really well for her, so far. Now it was time to keep the ball rolling. Her phone already in her hand, she typed in the other number she'd gotten today and rang it. It didn't take long for it to pick up.

"Hello?" The man's voice sounded tired and despondent. Susie couldn't blame him for that at all.

"Hello? Mr Schmidt? My name is Susie. You don't know me, but I'm a friend of your son, Mike. I'm trying to help him out but I need your help, too," she said.

"Is that so? Look, Susie, I don't know how you got this number but-"

"I got it from your son, Mr Schmidt. I've just visited him in prison, locked up for a crime he didn't commit. We, me and others, are trying to prove his innocence and put away the real people responsible. Like I said though, I need your help otherwise Mike is never going to get out," she said. "Please, I know how crazy it sounds but I can do it. I promise."

There was silence on the other end. "You really want to help my son?"

"I do, sir."

"Right. What do you want to know?" he asked.

"The break-in at Freddy's. Tell me everything about the way the performers behaved and how the people who broke in acted. Don't spare any detail. I want to know everything."


	8. Teddy Time

**Teddy Time**

Some may have said to Jeremy that the way he was approaching his mission wasn't the most efficient. Moving from one person to the other, with only a vague idea of how to get what he needed from them and the end goal of that information. If this were just a criminal investigation, Jeremy might have agreed.

But these guys weren't criminals. What was happening to them wasn't their fault and they were still being made to suffer as a result. It was cruel and it was wrong. They couldn't go to anybody for help, not even each other. Though they performed together, there was a definite distance between them all. None of them related to one another, none of them really tried to support each other. They suffered in silence because, from their point of view, there was no other way.

But Jeremy was proving them wrong. He had given them a sense of hope that they desperately needed. Yes, he had an overall mission to accomplish but he considered bonding with the synths to be part of it. They couldn't be overt in helping him, but so far they hadn't let him down. He was following the little bread crumbs they were leaving and he was following them diligently. Time to pick up the next one.

Even so, the clock was ticking. Already his third night and as far as information goes, he'd only managed to establish what had happened to Vevina and even then, it was unclear what kind of state she was in. He still needed to work out where the originals were. But Theodore was the group's leader, at least in a sense. He had to have at least some idea.

He approached the show stage to find two out of the three waiting for him. The man of the hour was nowhere to be seen.

"Hiya, Jer-bear!" crowed Hermana, sliding over to him. "How ya doin'?"

"I'm good, Hermy. Jer-bear?" he asked.

"Yep, it's my new nickname for ya!" she trilled. "Not sayin' ya have to dress up like a bear, that would be silly. Ooooor it could be fun! I think we might have a spare head lyin' around somewhere, you can wear it like a mask. Maybe we could do a show onstage!"

"I'll pass, thanks Hermy. Besides, I'm spending time Theodore tonight and I don't think he'd approve," he said.

"I would. It'd be hilarious," said Clyde.

"You're with Teddy tonight?" Hermana didn't sound as enthusiastic now. "Ya know, I just remembered there's somethin' I gotta do. Somethin' uh, real important that needs… see ya!"

Without another word, she skated off down the party corridor to her usual party room.

"Yeah, that's how I get rid of her sometimes too," said Clyde.

"Guess he's not exactly popular, huh?" asked Jeremy.

"About as popular as a lobotomy done with a spork," remarked Clyde. "I mean, you've seen the guy. He's a pompous windbag who throws his weight around at everybody he thinks isn't important and kisses up to everybody else. That's why he's gone backstage. He wants to make himself look his best, apparently. He'll need a lot longer though."

"He definitely seems to have it out for you," noted Jeremy.

"Oh yeah, completely. I mean don't get him wrong, he has it out for pretty much everybody but I'm special. Can't think why. I'm such a happy team player who always does what he's told," said Clyde.

"Yeah, I can see that," nodded Jeremy. "I guess I'll soon find out what he thinks of me."

"You will. Right, I'm getting out of here before he gets on my case for being in his general vicinity." He stood up to leave and sauntered off. "Just make it seem like everything that comes out of his mouth isn't verbal diarrhoea and you'll be best friends in no time. The guy just loves the sound of his own voice, a little too much."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Clyde. Don't work too hard," he said.

Clyde only gave an ironic salute before he turned the corner and out of sight. Jeremy didn't have to wait long before Theodore himself came out from behind the curtain, smoothing down his suit and adjusting his hat. He put on his best smile and approached Jeremy with his hand held out.

"Ah, young Mr. Fitzgerald!" He clamped Jeremy's hand and shook it vigorously. "I'm delighted to meet you properly dear boy, simply delighted."

"Good to meet you too, Theodore," returned Jeremy. "I see you have a handshake like the president you're named after and a winning smile to boot, sir."

Theodore chuckled enthusiastically. "My good man, I can see you are indeed a gentleman of impeccable taste and intellect. And please, there's no need for such formalities. If anything, I should be calling you sir. You are the night watchman after all, providing a vital service for which we are all indebted to you."

"Nah, you can just call me Jeremy," he replied. "Though that is high praise, coming from the man who basically runs the whole show."

"While modesty forbids me from agreeing with you, I suppose I cannot deny the truth of your words either." He placed an arm around Jeremy's shoulder. "In a way, you and I are the glue that holds these nights of ours together. Remember my boy, that if you ever need any extra support to manage my less than exemplary compatriots, I am more than happy to lend you my assistance."

"Thanks, I'll remember that," said Jeremy. "So what's on the agenda for tonight, Theodore? Or am I okay to call you Theo?"

He ruffled a little bit. "I do prefer the use of my full name, but if you feel as if you must, I suppose I shall deign you to use a more familiar term of address. I'm sure you can understand, but I feel that to use one's proper name is only part of the proper expression of respect owed to that person."

"No, no, you're right, Theodore it is then. Although, I would argue that a nickname doesn't necessarily mean you don't respect that person. More like it displays just how familiar your understanding of each other is that you don't need to be so formal with each other," said Jeremy.

"I suppose I can see that perspective," nodded Theodore. "However, for the moment I must insist that you refer to me by my full name. It's only proper that way."

"Fair enough then. So, what's the first order of business?" he asked.

"Ah, I am very glad you asked. First of all, I would like to apologise for not having seen to you sooner and leaving you to tolerate the frivolities of the motor mouth airhead and the lazybones waste of space," Theodore said.

"You mean Hermana and Clyde?" Jeremy frowned. "That's kind of harsh."

"Unfortunately, the truth is harsh. It's the only way to show that you're not a pushover or else they'll walk all over you. That's what it means to be a leader, Jeremy and it's only one of the many lessons I intend to pass on to you," said Theodore.

"Right," said Jeremy slowly. He was beginning to see why they'd both cleared off.

"Good. Now, the next thing is to display to you just how much proper organisation means to this establishment and to me. Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed every night at just how much a state it's left in," he grumbled.

"State?" Jeremy cast an eye around. "Looks pretty clean to me."

"Oh, that's how it appears. But just look!" He led him to one of the tables. "The arrangement of these party hats for one thing!"

Jeremy stared for a while. "Sorry, Theodore. I'm not seeing what the problem is."

"Then it's a very good thing you have me around. That is my second lesson to you: detail is very important, especially in the presentation," he said. "All of these hats need to be arranged so they are in the exact centre of the table and spaced no more than twenty centimetres apart from each other."

"Twenty centimetres, right. Are you serious?" asked Jeremy.

"I very rarely joke," Theodore said. He took two tape measures out of his pocket. "I brought along a spare for you. Many hands make light work and what not. We'll have this sorted out in no time!"

"Yeah we'd uh, best get on that," said Jeremy, taking a tape measure he was offered.

Theodore beamed. "See? Now you're starting to understand!"

So Jeremy set to work with Theodore. As it turned out, it wasn't just the way the hats were stationed. It was how far apart the chairs were spaced, how centred the table cloths were, making sure all of the balloons hung around were in equal size and without overly representing certain colours, the way the displayed wrapped gifts were stacked.

Jeremy could tell that Theodore was delighting in telling him how to go about this, in the same way that an artist would be eager to tell you about the meaning behind his weird abstract sculpture. On the one hand, it was pitiable. It was clear that none of the others really listened to what Theodore had to say and he was obviously happy that somebody finally was. On the other hand, measuring chairs and shifting stacks wasn't exactly Jeremy's idea of a fun time. But if it was what he had to do to get on Theodore's good side, then so be it.

"I'm guessing we're not going to be heading into the Cove to sort anything out?" asked Jeremy as they passed the curtain.

"Oh, good lord, no," said Theodore quickly. "No one allowed in there, although I did learn that you had a little adventure in there yourself last night and had to be rescued. Frankly, I'm astonished those two actually managed to achieve something positive for a change."

"Yeah, it was a close one," agreed Jeremy, keeping his annoyance at Theodore's casual dismissal of his friends in check. "I know I shouldn't have, but I figured that it was important for me to know the ins and outs of everything here if I'm going to be looking after it."

"An admirable perspective that bespeaks to your thoroughness but that is also another lesson for you: rules are there for a reason. No need to go fooling around with a collection of scrap parts, that's what we have the toddlers for," he said with a chortle.

"A collection of scrap that used to be one of you," said Jeremy.

Theodore looked surprised. "How do you know that?"

"Clyde told me," said Jeremy. "He said that it was somebody called Vevina. Made her sound like she was pretty special. The best of all of you, he told me."

"He did, did he?" murmured Theodore. "I suppose it depends on one's perspective of that. He would say so, partners in crime, the pair of them."

"I got that, yeah," said Jeremy. "She didn't sound like somebody who followed the rules."

"And she wasn't. I apologise that this was kept from you, Jeremy. We would have preferred you not see the sorry state that one of our former associates is in currently but now you know just how important it is that we maintain the order of things." He said the last bit loudly and over his shoulder, in the direction of the big present in Prize Corner where the music box was still playing its eerie tune. "Yes, very important indeed."

"Is that what happened to Vevina then? She went against the order of things?" he asked.

"Oh yes. Don't worry too much though, she's still intact but she needs to undergo certain assessments before she's permitted to take an active role in the restaurant." He drew himself up. "Especially since the day draws closer to our ultimate unveiling, we must all be on proper form and she is no exception. It's for the good of us all. Now come along, we've still got a bit more to do."

"Right behind you," said Jeremy quietly, though he didn't like how that sounded.

He continued to go along with Theodore for a little bit, allowing him to espouse what he liked and to have Jeremy help him with more organising but he had to move things along. He needed to bring the talk into an area of relevance. Clyde wasn't wrong, the guy really liked to run his mouth and he enjoyed having his ego fed. Jeremy just had to use that to his advantage.

"You know, I'm still pretty amazed at all of you," he said while they were sorting out another table. "I keep forgetting that you're not exactly human. No offence."

"None taken, dear boy. As I have said, there is no denying the truth and the truth is that we are not human. We are an advanced and unique form of life, known only to a few. A secret hidden in plain sight," he said. "You are among the privileged few who know, Jeremy but soon, it won't be long until we step out of the shadows and take our rightful place! But you keep that to yourself, alright?"

"Don't worry, mom's the word." Jeremy folded his arms. "Personally, I can't wait. Everyone deserves to know just how great you all are."

"Indeed!" said Theodore proudly. "We shall cement ourselves in the pages of history."

"I can see it now," nodded Jeremy. "Towering above everybody else, the first of your kind in all the world."

"Hailed as the great marvels that we are," continued Theodore. "What a proud moment it shall be. When everybody looks back, they shall remember it with pride!"

Jeremy nodded along, placing an arm around Theodore. He was having exactly the effect he had hoped. Time to see if this would work.

"You're going to make all other restaurants things of the past, make Freddy Fazbear's look like yesterday's news," he said.

"As if they could have ever hoped to rival us. Ha!" he barked. "Their paltry performers could never hope to hold a candle to the likes of us."

"Yeah. I mean, animatronic vs synthetic. There's really no contest, is there?" asked Jeremy.

Theodore scoffed. "Oh, such a thing would barely even be worth acknowledging. But our superior designs trumping old and inferior models of synthetic? Now that's truly something noteworthy, even it is only a mere footnote."

"Old synthetic models?" asked Jeremy.

"Indeed!" He was grinning now. "Renegades, vandals and crooks, but we swiftly rounded them up and their rebelliousness will be dealt with, alongside Vevina!"

"You know, it's funny you should mention that." Jeremy looked right into Theodore's eyes with a smile. "Because Hermana told me there aren't any other synthetics. Just you guys."

"Oh." Theodore's face paled and he smacked his lips. "Did… did she, indeed?"

"Yeah, she did." Bearing in mind that he wasn't supposed to know, Jeremy allowed his smile to grow into something awestruck. "So you're telling me that those guys were synths too? That's incredible, I never even noticed and I used to go to Freddy's all the time!"

"Yes, well, I suppose they disguised themselves rather well," muttered Theodore. He looked quite annoyed with himself now. "Regardless, there's not a thought more to be spared for them."

"Come on, you can't drop something like that on me and just skim over it," he complained. "You gotta give me more details. Where are they now? Are they nearby?"

"It's not important," he said dismissively. "I shouldn't have mentioned them in the first place. Come now, let's discuss something else."

"Yeah, but you've mentioned it now, so we may as well talk about it. I'd love it if I could meet them. You said they're nearby, is it in the building?"

"It doesn't matter if they are or not, it will be quite impossible for you to see them. Their access is strictly prohibited until they are ready to-"

"So they're in somewhere I can't go? Okay, well it can't be Kid's Cove, there's nowhere to keep them and I wouldn't have thought they'd be stashed in the office upstairs." Jeremy snapped his fingers. "Parts and Services! That's gotta be it, right?"

"W-What?!" Theodore spluttered. "How could you possibly know that?!"

"I didn't. You just told me." Jeremy couldn't stop the grin that spread on his face while Theodore continued to stammer. "But it was pretty much the only thing that fit the bill. I mean, it's called Parts and Services, it makes sense and it explains why it's kept locked up all the time. You wouldn't want anybody stumbling across that. So come on, now the secret's out, I might as well take a look."

"You utter-!" Theodore was cut off when he suddenly clutched his head and hissed in pain.

Jeremy was about to ask what was wrong when Theodore looked right at him. His face was expressionless but his eyes... black, with only a single white spot at their centre. In that moment, Jeremy was transfixed. He knew it wasn't Theodore gazing through those eyes.

Then, he blinked and they were back to his normal blue. He briefly touched his head in a moment of confusion, which was quickly replaced by annoyance, directed at Jeremy.

"Theodore?" he asked. "What was that about? Are you okay?"

"Nothing. I must go now, there are some things I have to attend to. Good evening, Jeremy," he said shortly.

"Hey, don't you walk away from me," said Jeremy, blocking his exit. "You have some explaining to do."

"Don't presume to tell me what to do, boy," he warned. "I am in charge around here and you would do well to remember that."

"Why? What's going to happen to me if I don't? Am I going to be dealt with for going against the proper order, like Vevina was?" challenged Jeremy.

"She brought that on herself. It's for her own good, for the good of us all!" he snapped.

"Do you honestly believe that? The pain she must be going through and you think that's okay?!"

"What do you know?" he spat. "You don't understand. You couldn't even begin to-"

"Don't!" Jeremy thrust a finger at Theodore. "Don't you even try that with me. 'Cause I used to think that and you know what? It's a crap view to take."

"What do you-?"

"You think you're the only person in the world who's had something bad happen to them, who has a hard time dealing with it? Newsflash, _Teddy_: bad things happen to everybody! It doesn't give you the excuse to take it out on everybody else and be a jerk about it!" With Theodore staring dumbstruck, Jeremy pulled out two chairs and sat himself on one of them. "So before you say any more of that 'nobody understands me' spiel, just try me. Come on."

Theodore looked from the chair to Jeremy. He carefully approached it and slowly sat down.

"Very well. But no more questions about the other synths. You will have to curtail your curiosity on that front," he said curtly.

"Sure. In return, you call me 'boy' again and you'll regret it," returned Jeremy.

"Duly noted. So, you were asking about Vevina." Theodore pursed his lips for a while. "It's difficult for me to explain but to put it simply, we answer to a higher power. Vevina had always been… a rebellious sort and once, she had pushed it too far. So the powers-that-be came to me with a demand. Either she suffer the consequences for what she had done or we all would. I couldn't allow them to be punished for something they hadn't done. I won't deny that it was difficult but it was the only thing I could do."

Jeremy shook his head. "Damn… that's harsh."

"Rather," he agreed. "And I'll say no more about it, thank you. You wanted to know, there you are. Has it enlightened you?"

"I wouldn't say that, but it does make me want to ask something else. Do you really hate them?" asked Jeremy. "Clyde and Hermana, I mean. You're not exactly friendly with them."

Theodore was quiet for a while. "No. While they do... irk me, I don't hate them. They're all I have."

"Then why are you so harsh with them? You keep calling them names, running them down all the time."

"What else can I do?" he asked. "I am their leader. They must see that I am immovable, unshakable and strong and they must learn to follow the line. We all must or else…" He didn't finish his sentence, only looking away stiffly. "We must carry on."

"And keep calm, right?" quipped Jeremy.

"Indeed," he said. "Besides, it's better this way. Our existence is not an easy one. It is harsh and unforgiving. I fail to see why I should not let them forget that."

"Theodore, there's other ways to be a leader other than just shouting at people and giving them orders. And yeah, life does suck but yelling abuse at people and getting into arguments isn't going to make dealing with it any easier either," said Jeremy.

"And what would you suggest as an alternative?" he asked archly.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the direction of the corridor leading to the party rooms, followed soon after by a cry of pain. A very high pitched cry of pain.

"Hermana!" Jeremy was off like a shot. He vaguely heard puffing behind him from Theodore, but his attention wasn't on the bear-man anymore.

He skidded into the party room to see the source of the distress. Hermana was lying on the ground next to one of the tables. The table in question was completely flipped over, party hats littering the floor and chairs scattered.

"What the devil was that...? Oh, this is completely ridiculous!" Theodore strode past Jeremy, ignoring Hermana and gesturing to the aftermath. "Look at what you did, you utter twit! I ask you to keep these rooms tidy and you can't even manage that!"

"Theodore!" snapped Jeremy. "Priorities, come on. You okay, Hermy?"

"I-I'm fine, Jer-bear," she said in an attempt at a positive voice, though she was clearly fighting back tears. "I thought it'd be neat to- OW- skate and jump up onto the table, do a kinda slalem between the hats. But I just -ssss ow that stings- landed on my noggin, misjudged the jump. I'm okay though!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Jeremy pushed back her feathers and hair, checking over her head. "Oh, you must have hit of a corner of the table or something. You're bleeding... wait, is this stuff blue?"

"Yeah, duh." Clyde was leaning against the entrance of the room. "We're not exactly going to have blood, are we? That stuff's just the fluid we have to keep ourselves maintained."

"Where have you been?" demanded Jeremy. "Massive crash sounds off and that doesn't get your attention at all?"

"Wasn't anything to do with me. It wouldn't be the first time that she's wound up hurting herself from some dumb skating stunt. You guys seem to have things locked down, I'll just leave you to it," he said, making moves to leave.

"Hold on, where are you going?" asked Jeremy hotly.

"Indeed, yes!" Theodore strode up to Clyde. "Why weren't you here to keep an eye on her and stop her from making such a mess?"

"Since when is it my job to be Hermy's babysitter?" remarked Clyde. "I'm not going to be hanging around every time she does something stupid. I'd have no time to myself."

"You have far more time to yourself than you know what to do with, that is if you actually did anything with it," retorted Theodore.

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Then what were you doing? Shouldn't our great leader be keeping everybody in check?"

"I have far better things to be doing than to be watching the two of you all night. I have many responsibilities!" he said, puffing up his chest.

"You mean organising stuff nobody cares about except you?"

Theodore spluttered at this. "Well, I never...!"

"Yeah, you never really, do you?"

"You're one to talk! It's a lot more than anything you ever do!"

"Guys!" Jeremy stood between them. "This isn't helping right now. Argue all you want later, but we need to get this fixed. Clyde, go fetch me some napkins, some cloth if you got any."

"Why should I?" he asked. "Not my fault the idiot hurt herself."

"It doesn't matter if it's your fault or not, she needs help. Don't act like you don't really care," he added pointedly.

Clyde shifted uncomfortably. "Fine, I'll go see if I can find something." He headed off down the hall.

"Come on, Theodore. I need you to help me check on her too," said Jeremy in a quiet voice.

"Why on earth would I do that? Though I am loath to say it, I do agree with Clyde. It was her own fault she hurt herself," he said.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter either way. If she needs a lecture later, you go right ahead and do that, but first, we need to do deal with this. I don't know how you guys work, if something like this is really bad or it needs to be cleaned up or what. I need your help for that. Being a leader isn't always about telling people what to do. Sometimes, it's about being there when they need you. That takes real strength."

Without waiting for an answer, Jeremy turned around and knelt down beside Hermana while she clutched her head.

"Don't you worry, Hermy. We're gonna have you fixed up in just a moment," he said.

She sniffed. "Thanks, Jer-bear. It's nothin' too bad, right?"

"Uh-"

"Of course it isn't." To Jeremy's surprise, Theodore had joined him and was examining her injury. "Looks like it's only a superficial cut. I know we are quite hardwearing, but you don't have to push your limits quite that much." He glanced at Jeremy briefly. "I'm… relieved you're not too hurt, Hermana."

"Huh?" She snapped her head up. "What'd you say, Ted?"

"How many times, it's…" He stopped himself and sighed. "I said, it's good you're not too badly hurt. It would have been… unfortunate if you were. Since replacing you would be quite difficult that is and… why are you looking at me like that?"

Hermana's lip was wobbling. With a delighted squeal, she threw her arms around Theodore's neck who tensed immediately at the contact.

"Yes, yes, there's no need for that kind of behaviour, thank you!" he said shrilly.

"Wow. I leave for a minute and come back to this." Clyde had come back with some paper towels and some torn cloth. "What'd I miss?"

"Ah, splendid, just what we need." Theodore managed to wriggle out of Hermana's grasp and took them. "Good work, Clyde."

Clyde blinked. "Did you… just compliment me?"

"Don't get used to it, I'm sure I'll find something you haven't done properly or at all," said Theodore. "But credit where it is due."

"Yeah!" Now it was Clyde's turn for a hug. "Thanks, Clyde."

"Whatever," murmured Clyde. This close however, Jeremy could see the very faint beginnings of a smile.

With Hermana looking a lot happier with all of them gathered and Theodore having naturally taken control of the situation, Jeremy stood back to watch the scene.


	9. Closing In

**Closing In**

With the confirmation from Jeremy that the synths were being kept in the Parts and Services room, Susie only felt more convicted in her purpose after work tonight. Whoever this Lidiya was, she had to be working closely with the original synthetics and this gave Susie a prime opportunity to see if she could find out more to feed to Jeremy. At the very least, she'd be able to confirm if she had her own key and they'd be one step closer to their goal.

In the end, Susie had decided again to be partially honest with Wendy. She'd told her that she would be late home tonight as she was going out with somebody from work.

"Really? Who?" she asked.

"No-one special, just some people from work. You know me, the social butterfly," said Susie as casually as possible.

Susie thought she saw a flicker of suspicion cross her girlfriend's face, but it was swiftly covered by an amused smirk.

"The social butterfly indeed. I'll just see you later then," she said.

"Sure thing." She paused on her way to the door, went back and kissed her. "Have a good day, Wendy. I love you."

She was taken aback by the sudden affection, but no less pleased. "I love you too, Sue. Take care."

The pleasant butterflies that Susie felt in that brief moment didn't take long to turn sour. At least it wasn't a total lie and this was purely for the case, no other reason. That was what she told herself and refused to entertain the idea that a nice woman had taken an interest in her. No matter how much it threatened to creep into her head. It didn't help when Lidiya came in as she usually did but this time, the smile she gave Susie brought those butterflies back.

But she couldn't worry about that now. Instead, she resolved to focus on the next stage of her plan. Thanks to Mike and his dad, she was now armed with much more valuable information and she was going to use it to its fullest. She hoped this would kill a few different birds with one stone. At the very least, it would help create the stir that she was hoping for to get her called up to the main office.

She only did her duties of the day in the most automatic fashion possible. The whole time, her mind was spinning away as to what she would say come lunch time. She had a rough idea in her head of how to approach it, but there were so many unknown factors and so little time that she couldn't really come up with anything more in-depth. She would just have to do what she did best and go with the flow.

As luck would have it, the arrangement of the ex-guards come lunch was exactly what she hoped for. Stuart, Ernest and Jenny in their usual place. No sign of Daniel and Gordon seemed like he was still working his time. She met their wary gazes with her brightest smile.

"Hello, again," she greeted as she took a seat.

"You've already been told once, now go away," said Jenny.

Susie had expected something like that. Okay, if that's how this was going to go, time to be direct.

"She only wanted to see your camera," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked in irritation.

"She thought it looked cool. She even asked you nicely if she could take a closer look at it. Doesn't really sound much like a potentially dangerous robot, does it?" Susie casually leaned back in her chair. "But I could have told you that. I worked there for years and Chica is the gentlest thing I've ever known."

Jenny stared at her in shock. "But… but how could you…?"

"And she wasn't the only one. Their leader, Freddy, he was a pretty stand-up guy too. Surely a killer robot would be all over you guys in moment, but he wasn't. He went along with everything you told them, told the others to back away so that nobody would get hurt." She let a harsher tone enter her voice. "That is until your fearless leader started waving a gun around and threatened to shoot a man, in front of his parents no less."

Susie couldn't help but relish in the satisfaction at the expressions on all of their faces. Ernest looked like he was trying to sink into the seat. Stuart was staring at her with a mix of shock and anger. Jenny looked angry too, but was that a little bit of shame too? Stuart was the first to break the tense silence.

"How the hell could you know all of that?" he demanded.

"I asked the guys who were there. You know, the night guard that your leader threatened to shoot and then his dad shortly after. What was it that you said to that night guard's mother, Jenny? That you promised that nobody would be hurt?"

Jenny blanched under her glare, but returned it defiantly. "What exactly are you getting at? What's your point?"

"My point is that you lied. All of you." She leaned in to lessen their chances of being overheard. "Not just to Mike's mother, but to the cops, too. You told them that those robots were all dangerous from your break-in but you know that's not true. You saw how they all acted. They were scared, they tried to reason with you and they cooperated with you."

"But then they tricked us and attacked us, one of them almost got Daniel!" argued Stuart. "Those things really were-"

"What, smart?" cut off Susie. "Of course they tricked you, Stuart. One of them was counting down to when he was going to shoot someone and as far as they were concerned, you were breaking into their home with weapons, what exactly were they supposed to do?"

"That was just a bluff, he would never have done it," hissed Jenny.

"Yeah? Is that why he then tried to stab Mike when things weren't going his way?" retorted Susie. "And by the way, the one that almost 'got' Daniel? Again, you should probably expect that reaction when somebody pulls out a knife."

"It could have killed him!" Stuart countered.

"And Daniel was just going to give Mike a little cut on his arm, was he?" returned Susie.

"Look, things didn't go how we planned them but it was necessary. They were hiding something there. We all saw how they moved around at night, tried to get at us. We had to find out the truth," argued Jenny.

Susie arched an eyebrow. "So the ends completely justified the means, did they? And by the way, who are you to be talking about truth? Despite everything you saw when you broke in, you were willing to sell a story about how they were all monsters, all the while ignoring the one already standing next to you?"

At that moment, Gordon joined them. He spared Susie a silent glare too, like the kind he had used on the bullying kid. It made Susie fearful for a moment, but she wasn't going to be stopped now.

"Oh, hello, Gordon. We were just talking about the night you broke into Freddy's. Do you still have that crowbar Freddy bent after you tried to hit him with it?" she asked casually.

He blinked in surprise and his eyes flickered to the floor. He looked to the others, who gave him rather guilty looks before taking a seat nearby to listen in.

"That's not true." Ernest's voice was quiet, but it was steady. "Daniel's not a monster. He isn't."

"Do you really believe that, Ernest?" asked Susie. "Even after all he threatened to do and almost did that night? Because that doesn't exactly sound like one of the most stable of people to me. I get it, he must have been the one who approached you and gave you the idea of uncovering the truth at Freddy's. It takes guts to do something like that but can you all seriously tell me you're completely sure about him?"

None of them responded to the question, not immediately. They all exchanged pensive looks with one another and eventually, Jenny spoke up.

"I won't deny that what he did was right. But calling him a monster? That's going rather far," she said.

"Yeah and who cares about the robots?" dismissed Stuart. "We were all going to go to jail and then Fritz came along with a lucky break. You'd be crazy to turn that down."

"And none of you thought that was weird? At the same time some big wig comes along to make an offer, the place you broke into and that he's trying to take over then goes under after a massive tragedy. The guy that Daniel blamed was going to run through ends up being thrown in prison, while you all get new jobs at the restaurant and a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. None of you thought that was odd?" she asked.

"Like Stuart said, i-it was that or go to prison," murmured Ernest, though Susie could tell her words had some kind of effect on him.

"What are you saying, anyway? That Fritz was responsible for what happened?" scoffed Jenny. "The man's a sleazebag but he's not a killer."

"No, he isn't. But what he does have is somebody with a grudge against both the place and the man working there and who has been willing to do what he feels is necessary to get what he needs," said Susie.

Gordon's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed at Susie. He stood up from his chair and furiously shook his head.

"You're right, Gordon," agreed Jenny. "That's even more ridiculous! Daniel had a good reason for what he did and why!"

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," quoted Susie darkly.

"And you have actual proof of this, do you?" Daniel's voice asked behind her.

Susie rounded on him. There he was, wearing that sneer and his stupid purple uniform. She stood from her chair now and looked him right in the eye.

"You know that I'm right," she said.

"So the short answer is no, you don't have any proof. You're just making some baseless accusation, on top of harassing us again. I'm not going to tell you again: back off," he growled.

"Or what? Are you going to pull a knife on me too?" She jabbed his shoulder with her finger. "I know what you are, Daniel. I know exactly what you've done. You almost killed my friend, twice and you're the reason he's in jail for a crime he didn't commit. You think you've gotten away with it but I'm onto you."

"I said back off!" he said, roughly shoving her shoulders. He looked like he was going to follow up with something but saw that a few people were staring now. "Just… leave us alone or I'll report you."

"Fine," she said. "I'll go. But this isn't over, Daniel and the rest of you?" She looked around at them. "If you honestly feel that nothing is wrong about this, you carry right on. But ask yourselves: what if I'm right?"

Her eyes lingered on Jenny especially, who didn't look as convicted as she did before. With that, she walked away from the ex-guards and sat down near Ken again, ignoring the prickling feeling of many pairs of eyes watching her. Ken himself was staring at her in awe.

"What was all that?" he asked.

"It's fine, nothing to worry about," she replied.

"I hope not. You're really going to stir up the hive with stuff like that," he said.

Susie only responded with an ironic smile and took the first bite of her sandwich with particular relish.

She deliberately kept her eyes off the five of them for the remainder of lunch. She was hoping Daniel would make good of his threat and get her reported, that would definitely give her a way upstairs. If he was the killer and Fritz knew that too, this would make them worried that somebody was onto them and it would certainly confirm her suspicions. If they didn't act, they had nothing to hide but if they did…

Then, there were the others. Though they hadn't exactly made great life choices, the other ex-guards weren't exactly hardened criminals. They were just people and unlike Daniel, they appeared to have straight moral compasses. Stuart was too scummy to be reliable but Mike's dad had told Susie about how Jenny had at least tried to talk Daniel out of pointing a gun at people and Ernest seemed decent enough. Gordon seemed too close to Daniel, so she couldn't be relying on him to do a heel turn.

With lunch done, all there was to do was to continue working until the end of the day. There were no summons up to the office, but she had seen Daniel leave on another job and looking quite agitated, glancing back at her as he left. She'd allowed herself a smirk at that. It was a good step in the right direction.

At the end of the night, she checked her phone and saw a message from Lidiya, informing her that she was going to be a little late, but she would be there. Susie texted back an okay and sat outside the restaurant to wait. She paced about and idly scrolled through photos on her phone, feeling the same way anybody would feel before they're about to go on a first date.

But this wasn't a date, she told herself. The nerves she was feeling were just to do with her main reason for asking Lidiya out. Not actually asking her out, of course, because this wasn't a date. She had information that Susie needed and that's all there was to it. Okay, this wasn't going to be like some kind of interrogation, but she had to be objective in doing this.

She stopped at one of the photos. It was one of her and Wendy, at a party. Susie had loved it, Wendy had tolerated it. She hadn't wanted to go, but she'd gone along because Susie had wanted to. In return, they hadn't stayed very long and they'd gone home to watch one of her favourite movies to wind down.

Susie fought to keep away the tears that threatened to emerge when Lidiya sent a text moments later. She was able to put on a good smile when she came around the corner and those butterflies became easier to ignore.

"Okay, one thing I should make clear: I have a girlfriend," said Susie. "I'm sorry if I gave off certain vibes yesterday. I still want to hang out with you anyway.

Lidiya shrugged. "That's okay, I have a boyfriend, but same right back at you. Shame on you for leading a woman on like that though," she added teasingly.

"I know, but sadly there's only one Susie to go around. Come on, let's get going."

"Okay, what's the plan?" asked Lidiya as she fell in step next to her.

"We're going to the best place to eat in town. And I best, I mean most affordable on my pay scale," she added.

"Woo, cheap eats!" cheered Lidiya. "I mean, no offence to you, I could probably afford something pricier but I wouldn't want to show you up."

"You're so considerate," remarked Susie.

The place she had chosen was a basic burger place. One of those places that wasn't as cheap as McDonald's but it didn't matter because the burgers actually tasted of something. The two of them placed their orders and picked out seats at the back. Susie made sure they were relatively isolated from other patrons. She didn't want to risk being overheard.

"Yep, definitely cheap eats," noted Lidiya. "Is this place any good?"

"The food's pretty decent for what it is, although watch yourself. This place can get a little rough," Susie said grimly.

"What? What do you mean by…?" Lidiya's face lit up in realisation and she grinned. "I'm ready for anything. Do they at least serve droids here?"

"No, which I never thought was really fair." Susie returned the grin. "Nice catch on the reference."

"Well yeah, I'm disappointed I almost missed it," said Lidiya. "I love those movies, even the prequels."

Susie made a noise of disgust. "Ugh, no. Those movies are so bad."

"I know they're not the best but they're not as awful as people say they are, either," said Lidiya. "They have a lot of faults but I can't help loving them all the same."

"I can respect that. Looks like we're going to get along great."

"I'd say so, though not as great as we could be," she said with a wink.

"Down, girl," ordered Susie. "So who were you there to see at the prison? Did you pluck up the courage?"

"No. I always do this. I tell myself this time, this time I'll see him, but I never follow it through. It's just such a big change, I guess I'm scared about what I'm going to find. I mean, I'm not expecting to go in there and find out he's shivved fifty other guys but yeah, it's still really nerve wracking." She sighed. "That makes me sound selfish, doesn't it? He probably needs a friendly face and I'm more worried about what it's like for me."

Susie shook her head. "I get it, don't worry. I had those exact same thoughts, too. But like you say, he probably could use seeing somebody, remind him he's not on his own with what he's going through. It's not going to work miracles but it really can make a difference."

"I suppose you're right. Looks like I'm just going to have to deal with it. Although I don't know how much good it'll really do, considering we…" She trailed off and laughed. "Sorry, that's my problem, not yours."

"It's okay, don't worry. Take as much time as you need but if you decide to go, I think you'll feel a lot better," said Susie.

"Yeah, Mike could probably do with the extra support. That's his name, by the way, Mike. Well, of course it's his name, I mean what else would it be?" she laughed awkwardly. "Who else could I possibly be talking about?"

"Hold on, Mike? As in, Mike Schmidt?" Susie asked in amazement.

"How did you… wait, were _you_ seeing him?" She gasped loudly. "Oh, my god. There's coincidences and then there's this!"

"You're telling me! This is unbelievable!" cried Susie. "I know him from work, how do you know him?"

"University," she answered. "We dropped out of touch for a long time but when I found out he lived and worked in Little Borealis, I decided to drop him a message. Obviously this was before, you know, everything. Wow, it's amazing how things sometimes work out, isn't it?"

"You're telling me," agreed Susie.

In the wake of this revelation, she actually vaguely remembered Mike telling her about having feelings for a particular woman and how he had a hard time letting go of them. Was it possible this was the same woman? Susie could certainly see how she would appeal to Mike's tastes.

"So how do you know him?" asked Lidiya.

"We worked at Freddy's together. A little bit awkward, but still a pretty decent guy. We're good friends. I couldn't really believe it when he was arrested for what happened to those kids."

"I found it hard to believe as well," agreed Lidiya. "It just doesn't seem right. That's another reason I wanted to see him, to hear it from his own mouth. Kind of adds to the fear of finding out, I guess."

"But you don't really think he could have done it, do you?" asked Susie.

"No! No, no, of course not. But I mean, you know, never really well, know with some people, do you? You think you know them and then poof! That all changes. It wouldn't be the first time." She stared off into the middle distance for a bit, then back at Susie. "Can I ask, did Mike ever talk about me to you?"

"He did, but it's not really my place to say," said Susie.

"Come on, it's not like he's going to know. Just us girls," said Lidiya with a wink.

"He still told me in confidence and that stays between me and him. Sorry," she added.

Disappointment flickered across her face. "Okay, I understand. Just thought I would mention that there's two sides to every story. Like, what happened with me and Mike, I'm… I'm not proud of it but it's complicated. Not exactly black and white, if you get what I mean? But when are these things ever black and white, am I right?" she said with an awkward laugh. "I just don't want you to think that whatever happened is all on me and I'm just going to shut up now, sorry."

"No, it's fine," said Susie quickly. "What happened between you two stays between you. Like you said, it's just us girls."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Sorry again. It's just hard not to think about it when it comes up. I don't think Mike ever really got over it."

"Okay," said Susie. Time to steer this conversation elsewhere. "So, you work in Parts and Services?"

"Yes!" squealed Lidiya. "Oh, my god, it's so amazing! I never thought I would have the chance to work so closely on technology like this, but I did and I love it! You wouldn't believe the sophistication behind the design of these sy- machines!" she said quickly, her face turning red. "I'm really not supposed to talk about it, but it's so hard not to, it really is, but it won't be long now!"

"They really sound like they're something special. I take it you're an engineer?" asked Susie.

"Yep, it's what I do," she said proudly. "It's pretty much luck I ended up working on this but I am so glad I did."

"I can definitely tell," nodded Susie. "So what exactly is it that you're doing?"

"I really shouldn't say," Lidiya murmured with a conspiratorial smile.

Susie returned it. "Come on, I'm already in the building anyway and you make it sound like something big is coming. What's wrong with a little preview?"

Lidiya bit her lip and shuffled in her seat, barely containing her obvious excitement.

"Okay, I can't tell you everything but…" She glanced around and leaned in. "Here's the thing. We managed to get the characters from the old location at Freddy's and we're going to be including them in the running!"

"Really?" asked Susie in genuine surprise.

"Yep! Some people apparently still have nostalgia for the place, so we're going to be including them with the new ones. There's a few kinks we need to work through, some odd little things in their original programming that I have the job of ironing out. I'm the only one allowed in, thanks to this." She pulled a key out of her pocket, a simple-looking Yale type one, silver in colour with a Darth Vader keychain. "It's been a challenge, but I've almost got the last of it done so you won't have to wait long!" She clapped her hands together. "It'll feel just like Freddy's again!"

"That… really sounds amazing," said Susie. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "And those are animatronics, yeah?"

"N- I mean, yes!" she said again. "Of course, why wouldn't they be?"

"I'm not saying they're not. I'm saying they could be something more than just animatronics," said Susie pointedly.

"O-Oh, yeah? Oh, wow, is that the time?" she said suddenly, getting out of her chair. "Sorry, I need to go. This was nice though."

"I know what's in there, Lidiya. I know it's not actual robots that you work with, that they're more than just machines," she said.

"I really don't know what you mean," Lidiya insisted. "Look, Susie, I really have to-"

"Synthetics," Susie said. "That's what they are." Lidiya stared openly, utterly dumbstruck. "If you're going to ask me how I know, I can't really tell you but I do know, trust me on that. Someone I know wants to help them and think you could really make a difference if you-"

"No." The firmness of Lidiya's voice made Susie stop. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Goodbye, Susie."

Before she could get another word in, Lidiya hurried out of the door. Susie tried to follow but by the time she got out, she'd already turned a corner and out of sight. `

Susie growled in frustration and banged her head against a nearby wall. She'd blown it. She thought Lidiya could have been a potential ally but she had misjudged it completely. There was no way she'd be able to talk to her again and now the fact that Susie knew the truth was exposed. What would this mean for her?

She tried not to think about it too much as she trudged home. After this, Susie was looking forward to just curling up in bed with her girlfriend and expected to just creep up and slide in next to her.

But Wendy was there. She was waiting near the front door with a blank expression on her face. Probably just tired.

"Oh hey, you waited up for me," she said brightly. "Come on, I need some snuggles."

"You sure your new friend wouldn't provide those for you?"

Susie blanched at the venom in Wendy's tone. "What do you mean?"

"The one you met after work. I'd finished early and it had been a while. I thought I would surprise you and join you, until I saw that you had decided to enjoy somebody else's company tonight." She folded her arms. "I'll say this, she was definitely to your tastes."

Susie felt her blood run cold. "W-Wendy, no. It's not what you think."

"Oh, so my girlfriend didn't lie to me about what she was doing tonight? She wasn't out with some other woman behind my back, is that it?" she challenged.

"I'm sorry, I just… I didn't think you'd like it if I told you it was just one person," she said weakly.

"Hmm, I wonder why that might be," Wendy remarked sarcastically. "Good to know I can trust you, Sue, it really is."

Susie should have felt guiltier, she knew she should have. She'd lied to her. But instead, something about what Wendy said made something else inside her snap.

"So now you suddenly care about what I'm doing?"

Wendy blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know. This is the first proper conversation we've had for a month because you've barely said anything to me otherwise." She felt the anger rising. "I thought you just needed your space, so I gave it but then you never did anything and I had no idea what to do or what to say because what exactly are you meant to do?"

"Sue, whatever you think-"

"What I think? Don't you mean what _you_ think?" she spat. "Ever since his disappearance, this had been going on and it only got worse after he turned up dead. You didn't say anything, not even when Mike brought it up and I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to make it true but there's no denying it."

Wendy looked away now. "I really don't think this is a good time for-"

"No, you said how we should talk soon, well soon is now so here it is: it is not my fault that William went missing!" she cried.

Her words appeared to echo in the silence that followed. It was like they had broken some sort of spell, both in the house and on Susie. All of those feelings she'd been dealing with came pouring forth in that moment.

"I miss him! He didn't deserve to die like that, nobody does, especially not a child! Not a day goes by that I don't think that it was somehow my fault and how do you think it feels knowing that my own girlfriend blames me for it?! Watching and silently judging me so I can't even relax in my own home anymore!" Those tears she had kept down before were coming out now. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest about tonight, Wendy, I really am and I'm sorry about everything you're going through. But did you ever, ever stop to think about what I'm dealing with?"

Susie didn't wait for Wendy's reply. Instead, she went into the living room, shut the door behind her and pulled out one of the blankets. She didn't bother with pyjamas, she just kicked off her clothes and curled up, sobbing into the pillow.


	10. Balloon?

**Balloon?**

Jeremy felt a sense of mounting excitement when he locked up the restaurant for the night. Last night had been a real accomplishment for him. Not only had he established where the original synths were, he'd managed to get further along personally with the new ones. After Hermana had been patched up, Jeremy had engaged them in an improvisation game from his theatre classes. Two people had to act out a scene until somebody called 'freeze', then that person would have to pick it up by replacing and start something new in the pose they were stuck in.

Clyde had opted out, preferring to lounge back and watch. Hermana had loved the idea and so had Theodore, who fancied himself as a budding thespian, as he put it. The guy certainly put his all into it, but he really played it up as Jeremy quietly observed and Clyde less quietly. Even so, he could tell that in their own ways, they were having fun.

The question was, what should he do tonight? He'd gotten to know pretty much all of them and had gotten as much information from them as he could, though he also knew there was more to learn. What exactly was happening to the originals and Vevina? What was in the box in Prize Corner, playing that music? How could they get into Parts and Services? Susie had hopefully answered that last one for him and he'd know for sure by tomorrow. By then, they would have enough to report back to Golden and form some kind of plan.

As he sat in the security office, cycling through the cameras on the monitor, Jeremy couldn't help but feel like he had forgotten something. Something that he had missed.

A metal sound brought him out of his musings. He looked around. It sounded like there was something in one of the vents. Jeremy crouched down to take a look. There was nothing there. He shrugged. It was probably just the machinery.

The same sound came again, this time from the other vent. Jeremy crossed over to it but he still couldn't see anything. Maybe he needed a little extra light. He pulled out his flashlight and pressed the switch. But the light didn't turn on. He tried it two more times. Nothing. He gave the base a couple of smacks and noticed that it felt lighter.

"What the…?" He unscrewed the bottom and checked the batteries. Except there weren't any. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Hello?" A small voice near him said. Jeremy cast his eyes around the room for the source. "Hi!"

He looked down. A small boy stood near the entrance of the other vent. He came up to around Jeremy's waist and wore a striped t-shirt with blue pants, with a matching beanie hat. His brown hair was scruffy under it, cut short. In one hand, he held a yellow balloon. The other was behind his back. He stared up Jeremy with a mixture of curiosity and mischief, like he was waiting for him to get a joke he'd just told.

"Oh hey," said Jeremy. He knelt down to his level. "Balloon Boy, right? How come I haven't seen you around?"

"Probably because you weren't looking for me," he said brightly. He also said, in a much sadder voice. "_No one ever looks for me_."

"Oh." Jeremy felt guilty now. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The transition back to his happier voice from his gloomier one was rather jarring. "Now you are and you have."

"I guess so. Hey, you haven't seen my torch batteries, have you?" he asked.

"What batteries?" The boy was fighting to keep a smile off his face. "I haven't seen any batteries. Maybe you've lost them."

Jeremy folded his arms, looking at him with exaggerated suspicion. "Are you sure you haven't seen them?"

"Yep!"

"You wouldn't lie to me would you?"

"No, sir, not me."

Jeremy nodded slowly. "Uh huh. What's in your hand?"

"A balloon!" He held it out to him. "You want one? I've got loads!"

"I can see that. I meant your other hand," said Jeremy, pointing to it.

"Oh, this hand?" Balloon Boy frowned and shrugged. "Nothing in that one."

"That so. Can I see?"

"Why would you need to see?" He blinked up at Jeremy sadly. "Don't you trust me?"

"If you've got nothing in that hand, there's nothing wrong with showing me it, is there?" returned Jeremy.

Balloon Boy looked away. "I guess not. Actually, did you say you lost your batteries?"

"No, _you_ said I lost my batteries."

"Yeah, because you asked me if I'd seen them, so that means you lost them," said Balloon Boy.

"I… guess you're not wrong there," admitted Jeremy.

"Yep, I'm right and look what I found." He held up his hidden hand to show what was in it.

"My batteries!" Jeremy glared at him. "I thought you said you were going to be good for me."

"I did! You lost your batteries and I found them for you," he argued. "You should really keep a better eye on them."

"Uh-huh, sure. Come on, I'll take those."

He reached for them, but Balloon Boy pulled them away. "You want them?"

"That was the idea," said Jeremy, getting a little annoyed now.

"Okay. Guess you better come get them then!"

With that, he shot off out of the office and back down the corridor, giggling as he ran. Jeremy ran out after him, calling for him to stop but he was already running around the corner. When Jeremy ran into the Games Room, he'd vanished.

"Dammit, where'd he go?" he asked aloud.

"Where'd who go?" asked Hermy from next to him.

"Agh!" He jumped and whirled to face her. "Hermy! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, Jer-bear," she trilled. "Who're you lookin' for?"

"Balloon Boy. He stole the batteries from my flashlight and ran off with them. Did you see him come through here?" he asked.

"Oh, right. I forgot you hadn't met him yet," said Hermana. "He runs off with stuff sometimes and makes us chase after him while he hides. Guess it's your turn."

"That little vagrant is more trouble than he's worth," grumbled Theodore as he strode up. "Shall we help you track him down?"

"Who's this 'we'?" scoffed Clyde. "I'm not spending my night running around after him. You guys have fun with that, I'm gone."

"Clyde, you lazy layabout, come back here!" Theodore demanded, going after him.

"Guys, come on, don't start fightin'!" Hermana skated to catch up. "We could play that game we did last night again!"

As the three of them descended into squabbling again, Jeremy realised it was likely he would be on his own for this one. He walked through the Games Room, scanning the area as he did. He lingered once more near Prize Corner when he heard the music box, wondering, not for the first time, what was inside. Perhaps Balloon Boy had hidden in there?

Then he heard another giggle and turned. He saw a leg vanish near the main entrance and hurried after it. By the time he got there, he heard that same metal sound of somebody climbing in a vent. He'd managed to climb up one further up the wall and from the looks of it, it was going in the direction of the break room.

"Gotcha," he murmured.

He quickly unlocked the door and went inside, locking it behind him as he went. Just in case. He took cover behind some chairs and waited. Moments later, Balloon Boy came crawling out and dropped to the floor. He ran to the far end of the room and Jeremy chose then to jump out, placing himself between Balloon Boy and the vent.

"Awww, you found me," he whined.

"Okay, jig's up, Balloon Boy." He held out a hand. "Come on, give those back."

"Sure!" He popped them in his hand. "You caught me, so it's only fair. And now, we can sit down and have a break."

He did just that, heading over to a corner of the room and plonking himself on the floor. He pulled out a few balloons from his pocket and started to blow them up. Jeremy watched him for a moment, then joined him by sitting on a nearby chair.

"Was your whole plan just to get me in here?" he asked.

"I don't know. You're in here now, right?" pointed out Balloon Boy with a little smile.

"I can't fault that, I suppose. So," began Jeremy, "you gave me a bit of a run-around, Balloon Boy. Actually, I wanted to ask, do you have another name? That can't be your real name."

"Why not? What's wrong with it?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Jeremy said quickly. "Just it sounds like the name of a superhero or something."

"Superhero?" Balloon Boy looked pensive and then excited. "Hey yeah, it does." He put his hands on his hips. "I am Balloon Boy, dispenser of blown-up justice and keeper of all things round and colourful!"

"Yeah, like that!" agreed Jeremy. "So if that's your superhero name, do you have another name too?"

"Hmm." He thought for a moment. "Not really, everybody just calls me that. _That's if they ever remember to_." He said the last part in a much more morose voice again.

"Does it make you feel bad?" asked Jeremy.

"Not really," he said, dropping the sadness in his voice suddenly again. "But I guess if you wanted to, you could call me Billy."

"Okay then. Is that your name then?"

"I don't know. It just sounds good," he shrugged. "So I guess it is."

"Alright, Billy it is," said Jeremy. "Or maybe I'll call you BB for short, too."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that sounds good too."

"Glad you think so. Hey, I'm sorry I never came looking for you sooner. The others kept me pretty busy," said Jeremy.

"It's okay, everybody forgets about me." In the sadder tone of voice, he said, "_I'm always on my own_."

"Does it get hard, being on your own?" asked Jeremy.

"Huh?" Billy looked at him, confused. Again, the shift in his voice from sad to happy was very sudden. "I didn't say I was on my own."

"Yes, you did. I heard you, just now," said Jeremy. "You sounded really sad when you said it, too. You've done it a few of times now, actually.

"Oh. Ohhhhh," said Billy, nodding in understanding. "You're right, I probably did. Except it wasn't me, not really me. It was the Other One."

Jeremy frowned. "The… other one?"

"Uh-huh. He's in here." He tapped the side of his head. "At least, I think he's a he. I'm not sure, it's hard to tell."

"O… kay," said Jeremy. "Can you… see him? Like, is he with us right now?"

"Nope. I can never see him but I know he's there. It's like a feeling, in my head. A sad feeling but I'm not the one who's feeling it. It's just him." He idly played with a balloon. "Sometimes, he comes up and he uses me to talk. Not for very long, though. I never know what he says, but I know he has said something because everybody looks at me funny. Like you are, right now."

Jeremy looked away at that. "Sorry, but you have to admit that it is a little strange."

"I guess it is. I wouldn't really know. To me, he's always been in here," said Billy. "I don't know why he's here or where he came from, but he's here and that's all there is to it."

"Okay then." An awkward pause hung in the air. "Do… the others have, well, others in their heads too?"

"I don't know. They don't really talk to me very much and when they do, it's usually to tell me to go away or that they're busy. I don't mind though. I like being on my own. _We're all alone in here_," he said in that morose tone at the end before abruptly switching back. "It means I can make more balloons or sit and think about stuff. Like if I can fly by spinning my hat." He spun the propeller on his beanie. "I haven't been able to yet, but I'm sure I will one day."

"Maybe it will. I hope it does," said Jeremy, managing a smile.

Billy returned it and went back to making balloons, humming tunelessly as he did.

Jeremy wasn't really sure what to make of Billy. He looked like a kid, but he talked like somebody a lot older but then he'd say something oddly childish and he was left guessing again. Plus, the thought that he might have some sort of personality disorder that he just dealt with was quite surprising. It didn't seem like it was an intentional part of his design, especially if he was meant to be entertaining kids. Was it some kind of glitch?

It was something Jeremy could only speculate on. For the moment, he just filed it away with all the other odd things he'd had to accept over the past few nights and days. The subject of people behaving differently reminded him of something from last night, however.

"You know, Billy, something funny happened when I was talking to Theodore last night. He was telling me about one of the rooms in this place and-"

"No, he wasn't. You were tricking him into telling you," he said. "I was watching."

Jeremy cleared his throat. "Well, anyway, we were talking and-"

"He looked like his head was starting to hurt and when it stopped, his eyes looked funny." Billy nodded in an almost sagely manner. "I was watching that bit too. I guess the Puppet wasn't happy about him talking about it."

"The Puppet?" Jeremy asked. "Who's he? I haven't seen him."

"Yeah, because he doesn't want you to see him. He stays in Prize Corner all night, inside that big present and he plays his music box. He likes that music box. I don't know why, he just does," said Billy. "He comes out during the day as a surprise for everybody sometimes, but only if he wants to. They get scared when he does."

"And what does he do? How come none of the others have talked about him?"

"Because they get scared, too," he answered. "He's not very nice. He likes to watch what we do sometimes and if he thinks we're doing something bad, he makes us stop. That's what happened to Teddy. The Puppet didn't want you to know about what he was telling you, so he stopped him. He keeps the Other One quiet too."

Jeremy nodded quietly. This must be the rival AI that Golden had told him about. He remembered the grimace on Theodore's face, the look he had when he'd been taken over. If that was what it felt like, no wonder they were scared.

"Can he… hear us right now?" asked Jeremy quietly.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to tell sometimes if he is or isn't. Most of the time, he leaves us alone. Unless we do something he doesn't like. Or he gets bored. Or for no real reason at all, it varies. But he probably isn't listening right now. Like I said, everybody forgets about me. Even him."

Jeremy wasn't really sure what to say to all of that. It was some heavy stuff, but it was more than that. The casual way in which he said it, in a child's voice no less, was rather unnerving.

"He doesn't like it when we go against his rules," Billy continued. "He especially didn't like it when Vevina did."

"Theodore said something similar. He said she went too far one time," recalled Jeremy.

"She did. She tried to break into Parts and Services. She wanted to free the other synths, the ones he made us capture. He decided to punish her, but he also made it so that nobody would try that again. So he made Teddy choose between just her being punished or all of us," he said.

It took Jeremy a few seconds to realise what he was getting at. "That's why Clyde fights with Teddy so much. No wonder, I'd be the same if somebody did that to my best friend."

Billy nodded. "Yeah. He was supposed to help her, she'd asked him to, but he got too scared when the time came and he backed out. I think he's sorry he did, but he can't fix it now so he just gets mad at Teddy instead."

"Guess that explains why she's ticked off with him," noted Jeremy.

"I wanted to help too but… she told me it was too dangerous." He sounded sad again, but this time, Jeremy didn't feel that it was the Other One talking. "She said I was very brave for wanting to help, but she didn't want to see me get hurt. She was the only one, the only one who never…"

He sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes, going back to fiddling with his balloons. With the way he had been talking, it had been easy for Jeremy to forget that in some way, he was still a child and right now, it looked like he needed something all children needed. He crossed over to him and silently wrapped him up in a hug.

Billy didn't object to it. He didn't say anything at all. He only gripped tightly onto Jeremy and stayed that way for a good while. When he did let go, he had his bright little smile on again.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"It's no problem. I'm just sorry I didn't come find you sooner. You should have come to find me yourself," he said.

"I wanted to, but it was too early. I had to see if what you said was true, that you were going to look after us. And it was. You made friends with everybody, even though it was hard. But it's not just that." He looked right into Jeremy's eyes. "You want to help us."

It was a statement, not a question. At first, Jeremy was worried about the possibility of this Puppet potentially learning about his intentions. Then again, he probably already had a good idea, considering what happened with Theodore last night. He'd be a complete idiot if he hadn't mostly figured Jeremy out already and frankly, if he did know, Jeremy was surprised he was being allowed to carry on the way he was.

Then there was Billy himself. It was obvious that he was overlooked and underestimated by everybody around him. Even Jeremy had been so caught up with learning from the other three, those who resembled the characters he associated with Freddy's and all standing in the spotlight, that he'd completely forgotten about the odd one out of the group. He'd already shown he was brave enough to tell Jeremy things beyond giving cryptic hints and vague clues. The little synthetic boy was his ally, through and through.

"Yes," he said at last, "I am. I don't know how just yet, I'm still working it out but I'm going to help you guys be free."

"I knew it," he whispered. "I knew you would. You were asking all these questions and talking to everybody, I just knew it. I want to help too and don't tell me I'm too small or you don't want to see me hurt. I'm not a normal little boy, I'm not useless. I can help, really I can. Please, let me help."

"What about the Puppet?" asked Jeremy. "If he finds out, won't he take control of you? He might even punish you."

"I know." His voice trembled a little but he shook his head. "But I don't want to be afraid forever. It's not fair that he treats us like this. We can't be afraid of him forever because if we're too scared to do anything, nothing will change."

Jeremy could only stare in amazement for a few moments. Again, the fact that this was coming from somebody who looked like they were only around eight or nine years old made it even more remarkable. His natural instinct was to keep him out of the line of fire but he was right. He was more than just a kid. He wanted to make a difference and Jeremy didn't have the heart to turn him down. Besides, they needed all the help they could get.

But what could he do? If his word was reliable, he escaped the notice of the mysterious Puppet which meant he could have a greater range of movement. At the same time, if he did anything too overt, there was no doubt the Puppet would notice. If he was going to help, it had to be subtle. That was when the idea occurred to Jeremy.

"Billy, I think I have a job for you," said Jeremy. "You see a lot of what goes on here. Have you ever seen who goes into the Parts and Services room?"

"Yeah, I have. There's a lady who always goes in there, stays for a while and leaves." He frowned. "I think she was there when we first woke up, but I'm not sure. But yeah, I've seen her go in there a lot."

"Okay, good and you're pretty quick, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded.

"Plus, you got those batteries off me pretty easily."

"I didn't get them from you. I _found_ them for you," he corrected with a wink.

"Okay, fine, you _found _them pretty easily," said Jeremy. "Do you think you could do the same for the key to the Parts and Services room? That lady is the only one who has it."

"Why? Is the lady who has it going to lose it?" asked Billy, smiling secretly.

"I have a feeling she might. And when she does lose it, you're gonna find it and give it to the nice lady on the front desk. Then, we can make sure it gets back where it belongs. You think you can do that?" he asked.

"I think so. But…" He glanced around. "Can I ask you something? It's going to sound silly, but I want to ask anyway."

"You can ask me anything you want to, Billy," assured Jeremy.

"This is an important thing you need to do, right?" Jeremy nodded in answer and Billy pursed his lips. "Do you think… would this make me a superhero?"

Jeremy smiled. "You'd be the biggest superhero ever, Balloon Boy."

"Wow…" At this, Billy's face seemed to light up. "Okay. I'll do it. And this will really help?"

"Trust me, BB," said Jeremy. "It's going to help a lot."


	11. Final Warning

**Final Warning**

Susie made a point the next morning of getting ready as quickly as possible before Wendy got out of bed. She hurriedly ran a brush through her hair, threw on her uniform and got out of the house, resolving to get breakfast somewhere on the way.

She hadn't given her girlfriend the chance to say anything after her outburst and she didn't feel like confronting anything to do with it at the moment. On the one hand, she felt completely justified. Wendy had been giving her the cold shoulder for a while now and Susie had been as patient as she could. Instead of talking about it, she kept it to herself and only went off at her on some unrelated trust issue she was having. How could she just assume what was happening and immediately accuse her of something like that?

But the more rational part of Susie, the bit she tried to keep suppressed with her outrage, took a different view. Wendy was right. Susie had lied to her and as much as she wanted to deny it, a part of her knew that on some level, she had enjoyed her interaction with Lidiya in a way that was beyond just getting information from someone. It felt like it had been so long since anyone expressed an interest in her in that way or she'd had any sort of affection. And she hated herself for indulging in those feelings, even for a moment.

Even so, that wasn't important right now. She had something else more important to focus on and the deadline was fast approaching. She still hadn't found out for certain where that tape was and she'd just chased off her only lead for the Parts and Services room. Yes, they knew the synths were in there but they still couldn't get in without the key.

Lidiya's reaction last night had also surprised her. Why was she acting so cagey? Susie imagined that it could be a similar situation to the ex-guards, where she wasn't allowed to talk about what she was doing. If they wanted to keep it secret, then it only stood to reason. If that was the case, then she was really determined to keep that secret. She had quite an important position, so she probably had a lot to lose. It didn't make it any less frustrating though.

All of these things meant that she ended up snapping at Jeremy when he called her with an update.

"Hey, hey, no need to get like that. I can call at a better time later," he said.

"No, Jeremy, it's fine, I just…" She sighed. "I'm dealing with a lot of stuff at the moment. I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Don't worry about it, I get it. What happened anyway?" he asked.

Briefly, she relayed what she had learned from Lidiya and the incident when she'd mentioned the synths.

"Yeah, I'll bet anything she's been told to keep quiet about it," said Jeremy. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, it's done now. If it'll help, you might be in a better mood when I tell you what I managed to do last night."

He proceeded to tell her about his conversation with Balloon Boy and that the synthetic had agreed to help him get the key from Lidiya. If he was successful, he would be passing it off to Susie to make sure it was left for him later that night.

"I gave him one of my spare keys to swap out, so she hopefully won't notice until it's too late," he finished proudly. "We're getting close now, Susie, I can feel it!"

"Jeremy, that's brilliant!" she cheered. "I'll keep an eye out for it today. Now if we can just figure out for certain where that tape is, we'd be sitting pretty."

"It's alright, we've got it pretty much narrowed down. We just need to confirm the location and we're good," he said. "I'm telling you, you'll have caused a stir yesterday with what happened with Daniel and the others. If they didn't call you up yesterday, I bet it's going to be today."

"I hope so. I never thought I would ever _hope_ for a time I'd be called up to the manager's office," she remarked.

Jeremy laughed. "You're telling me. I'm going to go and report to Golden today, update her on my progress and see what she thinks I should do when I go in tonight."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll probably see her today after work, whether or not I've managed to learn anything new and see where we go from here. We're almost out of time, we might have to just improvise," she said.

"Luckily for you guys, my director always told me I was good at adlib," said Jeremy with confidence. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. You look after yourself, Susie. I'll see you later."

"You, too, Jeremy. See you." The call ended and she was left again with her less pleasant thoughts.

At first, the day continued on as usual. Lidiya came in as she did, resolutely not looking in Susie's direction and making straight for the Parts and Services room. Susie didn't really look at her either. She still felt the guilt in the pit of her stomach just glancing at her. Guests and visitors came in, the performers did their thing and the staff went about their business.

Then came the surprise when the phone next to Susie's desk rang. The one that she usually used to direct people to the offices upstairs. Feeling something of a thrill in her chest, Susie answered it with both anticipation and dread.

"Mr. Smith would like to see you in his office," came Jenny's voice from the other end.

"What for?" Susie asked.

"Didn't say, he just wants to see you. I'll be down to let you in." The line clicked and Susie sat there for a moment, processing what just happened.

She had to really work to keep the smile off her face. It worked. Jeremy's idea actually worked! She'd gotten her ticket upstairs! Now, it was just a matter of narrowing down where the tape could be stored. Of course, there was still the fact that she'd been asked to speak to the manager and in any workplace, that was never a good thing. Even so, the question remained: was this just for what she'd done with the guards or had word gotten back from Lidiya about what she knew?

So it was with dread outweighing the anticipation that Susie called somebody over to cover the front desk and made her way into the Games Room. She caught sight of Gordon from across the room, giving her a very hostile sort of look. She just gave a little smile back and waited by the door.

While she waited, she happened a glance over at the Prize Corner. The regular attendant was there, looking like he was wishing he was anywhere else. The plushies of the characters were staring out with their blank eyes as excited kids ran up with tickets to claim them. The big box next to it was closed, as it usually was whenever she looked over.

Except it wasn't. The lid was open, just a little bit. There was something inside. She couldn't quite make it out, but there were what could only be a pair of eyes. Two, tiny white pinpricks against the encroaching darkness. And they were looking right at Susie.

A chill ran up her spine. She looked at the thing in the box and it looked back at her. Even over the clamours of the children and the noise of the band, she could hear it. A tinkling, musical box rendition of Pop Goes the Weasel.

Then it ended. The eyes vanished. The box snapped shut and the music stopped. Before Susie could dwell on what just happened, the door opened and Jenny was letting her in, telling her to follow. Oddly enough, Susie didn't feel as much dread as she did before. She'd rather have a sit-down with the manager any day than face whatever was in that box.

Jenny sat down back at her desk and buzzed the intercom she had set up.

"Susie Thompson, here to see you, sir," she said.

"Send her in," a voice said gruffly.

"Yes, sir." She buzzed it off and looked at Susie. "Address him as 'Mr. Smith' or 'sir.' Nod when you need to, get it over with and get out."

"Got it," said Susie. "Wish me luck."

"You're going to need it." She looked sympathetically at her. "I'm sorry about this, really. But you had to have known this was coming."

"I did. In fact, I was counting on it." She smiled mysteriously to Jenny's confused look and opened the door.

The room was what you might expect from a manager's office. A desk was set up in front of her with all sorts of papers arranged on it and a computer at the centre. A simple chair was set in front of it. To the left was a coffee table and some comfier looking black couches arranged like a horseshoe. The decoration comprised of different bobbleheads and imagery of different cartoon characters, including the restaurant's and a big photograph of the man himself, smiling in front of one of his other restaurants on the right. The walls were a deep blue, a colour which matched a very rich looking carpet.

Fritz Smith looked up from his work as she came in. So, he was a literal fat cat. His suit looked just as pricey as his office, velvet and tailored black with the only dash of colour being his red tie. The toupee he wore as far removed from real hair as she was from being in the same position as he was. There was no friendliness or warmth on his face, only the kind of assurance and confidence that years of success and money would bring to a person.

"Ah, Miss Thompson. Have a seat. It seems we have some things we need to discuss," he said.

Susie nodded mutely and quickly took her seat. Even though it was her intention to be up here, she didn't want to push her luck. She didn't want to cheese off a potential accomplice to kidnap and murder any more than she already had.

They sat in silence for a very uncomfortable few seconds. This was no doubt deliberate, to unnerve her. Susie sat as still as she could and did her best to keep her face blank.

"So, Miss Thompson," he began, looking down at a sheet of paper, "you joined us from Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, correct?"

"Yes, I did."

He glanced up at her. "Yes, you did…?"

"I-I did, Mr. Smith," she said hastily.

"Hmph." He went back to the sheet. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this establishment has done a great favour to you, Miss Thompson. We could have left you to try your luck in the current job market, but we didn't. We offered you gainful employment with the Fun Palace. A fresh start from the horrible things you were put through, tied to that godawful place. And what is your repayment of this great favour? Harassment of your fellow restaurant employees and offsite staff. Do you think that's a fair way to look at it?"

"I um…" She gulped. "Yes, sir."

"At least you own up to your wrongdoings. Let's have a little review of them." He picked up another piece of paper. "The first one I have here was filed by my driver, Daniel Fairchild. Interesting that, very briefly, you and those he were associated with were colleagues back at Fazbear's. An interesting way to treat them. You not only continued to broach the five of them on an uncomfortable subject, but you also accused Daniel himself of some very serious things. You accused him of 'pulling a knife on you', implicated him for the murders of those children at Freddy's and physically assaulted his person."

"I didn't assault him," she said before she could stop herself.

He set down the paper and looked at her coldly. "I'm sorry, are you contradicting me? Are you saying that Daniel was lying?"

"No, sir," she said quickly. "What I meant was that I only placed my finger on his shoulder. And he shoved me, too."

"So you admit to laying hands on his person, then?"

"Yes, but not-"

"So you're trying to downplay what you've done. Are you attempting to lie to me then?"

"No, sir, but-"

"Shut up, girl," he snapped. "You know what you did and you're here to answer for it. Own up to your mistakes, like an adult."

Susie opened her mouth again, but quickly closed it. She was playing a dangerous game here and this wasn't helping her situation. She bit her tongue and silently nodded.

He gave a very unpleasant smile. "That's better. Regardless of the fact that they were convicted criminals, they have paid their debt to society and are trying to start afresh. They can't do that if they're being reminded of their past crimes and accused of completely fictional ones, too. I expect you to apologise to them and know that if this is ever mentioned again, you can consider yourself out that door. Are we clear? Speak up, girl," he added when she only nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Smith," she said as neutrally as she could.

"Good. Now, onto the next order of business," he said, going to pick up another piece of paper.

The buzzer on his desk sounded, making Susie jump. Smith muttered in irritation and pressed the button for the intercom.

"Just got the financial reports to put away, sir," said Jenny.

"Fine, but be quick about it. I'm in a meeting as you well know, Jenny," he said tersely.

"Of course, sir. Be through in a moment."

The door opened and in came Jenny. She didn't spare a glance at Susie while she walked to the right side of the room, out of her line of sight. Susie kept her gaze locked on the desk for the moment. She didn't want to look suspiciously curious. She heard the sound of something being taken down, no doubt the painting.

She looked up from her spot at Smith who was still glowering at her. He was clearly impatient to continue and kept looking across to where Jenny was. Susie heard another sound, digital beeping. A code being inputted for a safe? There was a click and a squeaking noise. Taking a chance, Susie dared to look in the direction.

She only had the chance to look for a couple of seconds but it was enough. It was definitely a safe. She caught sight of some documents, wads of cash…and a black, rectangular object nestled on the bottom. What was unmistakably the security tape. Finally!

"What are you smirking at?" demanded Smith.

Susie quickly put on a straight face. "Nothing, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Is something about this funny to you?" he growled.

"Not at all, sir. I was thinking about something else, I'm sorry," she said levelly.

"Then you'd best keep your mind on what's important right now, girl," he said. "Jenny, hurry up there and get out."

"Yes, Mr. Smith. Just wrapping up now." With a clank, the safe shut and the picture was put back in place. "Thank you, sir." Jenny walked out and shut the door without another word.

"Now, where was I? Ah yes," he said, picking up the paper. "I had another report from one of our engineers, lovely lady by the name of Lidiya. I believe the two of you are acquainted?" Susie didn't respond to the question. "According to her, you were trying to worm company secrets out of her. Taking advantage of her unique position to do a little more digging. Care to comment?"

"I wouldn't really know, sir. We were just out and talking about work, not much more than that," she said evenly.

"Is that so? So the phrase 'synthetic', that doesn't mean anything to you, does it?" he asked.

"No, sir. Aside from its meaning of an artificial substance mimicking something organic, if that's what you mean?" she asked.

"No, it isn't and don't get clever with me, girl," he warned. "Because given this and what Daniel has told me, you're starting to come across to me as someone who likes to stir up trouble. Are you, Miss Thompson?"

Susie shook her head, not trusting her mouth at this point.

"I should hope not. Because I don't like troublemakers in my restaurant." He looked her right in the eye from across the desk. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, Miss Thompson. I'm a generous man like that, as I'm sure you've gathered. But this will be your only chance. If I hear anything like this again, you'll be fired. Are we clear?"

"Like crystal, sir," she said.

"I'll hold you to that. Now, get out," he ordered, pointing to the door.

Susie nodded and headed out of the door, feeling his eyes on the back of her head the whole time. Jenny got up to lead her back downstairs while Susie tried to process everything that had just happened.

"What did you mean before?" Jenny asked when they were in the middle of the stairs. "When you said that you were hoping to get called up to the office. Why would you say that?"

"I guess you could say that I was curious," shrugged Susie.

"What does that even mean?" Jenny folded her arms. "What's your game here, Susie?"

"You already know the answer to that, Jenny. I told you as much yesterday," she replied. "Please, if there's anything that you know, tell me. I think you know that there's something not quite right about this whole setup."

Jenny appeared to be considering whether or not she thought Susie was serious or just insane. If Susie were in her shoes, she would be the same.

"You were right, about the robots," she admitted. "They didn't act like how they should. They were too… human. It was more like a person in a costume than a machine. Especially that one you talked about, Chica. She actually did seem, well, nice."

"She really is," said Susie.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly. "And… you were right about Daniel, too. I still think 'monster' is too far but there were times that night, when I couldn't believe what he almost did. What he threatened to do. He never mentioned anything about that, I swear. We only wanted to get the truth."

"I believe you," she said, moving a little closer. "What happened, when you were let out?"

"We didn't get most of the details. Smith only really talked with Daniel. He told us that all we had to do was say the robots were dangerous and we'd be let out with new jobs. We were so thankful for our luck, we didn't really question it. Trust me, in that situation, you wouldn't. It's sort of been on my mind for a while but after you've bought it up, I can't get it out of my head." She paused. "Since it happened though, Daniel started acting a lot more distant with us. Gordon, too."

"It didn't seem that way before," noted Susie.

"What you saw represented the most contact we've had with them in the past month. Stuart, Ernie and me, we kept talking to each other because we were pretty much all we had starting here and because of how everyone else looked at us. But those two, they pretty much closed themselves off."

"Gordon too?" she asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. From what I gather, those two were always close. Childhood friends, I think. Helped each other through some rough patches. I don't know the details, they never really talked about it. For one thing, one of them can't. I only know that Daniel was there when '87 happened. That's a pretty rough thing for any kid to see."

"What about Gordon?" asked Susie. "I noticed something on his neck, like a patch of red."

"I'm not really sure. All Daniel would say was that it was some kind of damage done to his neck when he was younger, left him without a voice. Some other kid was apparently the cause of it but he wouldn't say much more than that," she said.

Susie was about to ask more when they both heard the intercom buzz from upstairs.

"Sorry, I'd better get back before he notices I've been gone too long," she said. "Whatever it is you're trying to do, I hope it works out." She pulled out her phone and passed it to Susie. "There's my number. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thank you." Susie noted it down in her own phone. "What changed, then? Why are you helping me all of a sudden?"

"Like I said, what you told us yesterday got me thinking about a few things. I thought this really would be a fresh new start after we tried to achieve what we set out to do. But if there's something else going on, if this place is covering something up like Freddy's was, I don't want to be a part of that. I've made enough mistakes." She started upstairs again, then turned. "I'm sorry about what happened to your friend, Mike. For the record, I don't think he could have killed those kids either."

"It's good I'm not the only one," said Susie. "I'll be in touch."

With that, Susie returned to the hustle and bustle of the main restaurant, her feeling of triumph doubled thanks to what had happened. It had taken a while and she'd ended up cutting it a little close but she'd done it! Not only had she figured out where the tape was, but she'd gotten herself another ally. She'd had a feeling about Jenny and was very happy to see that it hadn't been misplaced.

What she'd told Susie had got her thinking. Daniel had a vendetta against Freddy's, according to what Jenny said yesterday, because of the Bite. Be the hero by bringing down the corrupt kid's restaurant. Had something similar happened to Gordon? To her knowledge, the Bite was the most infamous thing that had happened with Freddy's, until the murders had supplanted that. As much as she enjoyed her work at Freddy's, Susie would be an idiot not to admit the place didn't have the best history. Was there something else, further back in the restaurant's past? She knew vaguely of a place that had become before Freddy's…

"Excuse me, miss?" She looked up and was surprised to see Balloon Boy standing by the desk. "I think somebody lost this."

He held out a familiar silver key with a Darth Vader keyring. In all that was happening, Susie had almost forgotten about Jeremy's message. She took the key from him.

"How did you get this?" she asked quietly.

"I told you, somebody lost it. I just found it," he replied happily. "You better hand it in to the security guard so he can put it back where it belongs."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thank you, Balloon Boy," she said.

"That's okay and you can call me Billy, if you want," he offered.

"Okay. Well, thank you, Billy." She smiled softly at him. "I used to know somebody else called Billy. He was a… a very sweet boy."

"I hope you think I am too," he said.

"Yes, Billy, I think that you are," she replied.

He beamed. "Thank you. _You still have a really nice smile._"

Susie stared in shock. "What did you just-?"

"Okay, gotta go now, bye!" he said quickly and walked off back into the crowd.

Susie looked after him for a moment, struck by an urge to follow him. The way he had said that, about her smile, it sounded exactly like… but that couldn't be possible. Surely, he was just complimenting her on her smile. It wasn't an unusual thing for somebody to do.

And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that…


	12. Grandfather's Clock

**Grandfather's Clock**

"This is a bad idea, Jeremy," said Susie through Jeremy's phone.

"Save it, Susie. I've already had this from Goldie. I've made up my mind and this is what I'm doing," he replied, striding with purpose to the Fun Palace.

"I know, but I'm telling you again because it is. We've got the key to Parts and Services. We know the synths are in there. We know where the security tape is. There's no need for you to go into the restaurant tonight, we have everything we need to act. We just need to put a plan together," she said.

"Okay, here's the plan: I go in, unlock that door, wake up the originals, they can use their crazy strength to yank open the safe, grab the tape and get out," he rattled off.

"What about the new ones? You really think this Puppet is just going to let you waltz in there, after what happened to Vevina when she tried the same thing?" she asked.

"He hasn't been doing a good job of trying to stop me so far. Billy told me all that stuff last night, he managed to steal that key for you and I didn't see the Puppet try and stop him," he argued. "Besides, they've all been helping me along in their own ways. They want things to change and I know I can do that for them. I owe it to them to get them out sooner rather than later."

"And you don't think it's odd that the Puppet hasn't actually done anything yet?" she returned. "Face it, Jeremy, you've been having your own impact as well as me. He might be onto you already and just waiting for the right moment."

"You're right, I have been making an impact. I've been making a difference in the lives of some people who've had one of the worst deals you can imagine. If Vevina can resist the guy's influence, maybe they can too. Once they know they've got a chance to actually get out, that might be the kick they need."

"You don't know that for sure. You don't know how strong his control over them is."

"Neither do you," he retorted. "Susie, I've made up my mind. We're nearly out of time and every minute that passes is one more that the new synths are under his control and from what you said from your talk with Lidiya, it sounds like the originals might be joining them soon, along with the secret getting out. Not only that, but I'm not letting my brother's killer be free when that evidence is right there for the taking."

"Jeremy-"

"I said I'm doing it," he said firmly. "We have a chance to end this tonight and I'm not passing it up."

She was quiet for a while. "Okay. I still think this is a really bad idea and so does Goldie. Even so, we're not going to leave you twisting in the wind. I'm going to be here on standby with Goldie and Brad. If anything happens, message me and I'll make sure it gets to them. But if it looks like things are going badly, get out of there."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna stick around if the going gets tough," he said.

"Goldie says she has a piece of advice for you, too. If things get hairy, use your taser. Apparently, a strong enough electrical surge can help to disrupt the Puppet's control, especially if its an animatronic," she said.

"Is that a fact?"

"She says it comes from personal experience," she answered. "It's better than nothing at all."

"It is actually, yeah," agreed Jeremy. "I'll talk to you later, Susie."

"You'd better. Be careful, Jeremy," she said.

He'd just arrived at the door of the Fun Palace when the call ended. He looked up at the building. If fear started to creep in, he thought of the synths, trapped in there and waiting to be freed. He thought of Mike, rotting away in prison. He thought of his brother, a blameless victim in some twisted plan. With this resolve, he unlocked the door and locked it behind him. No going back now.

He approached the front desk and looked behind it. He pulled open the top drawer and there it was. The key to Parts and Services. With a grin, he swiped it up and pocketed it. Almost there.

Jeremy peered through into the Games Room. The performers were gone from the stage and Billy was nowhere to be seen. The box in Prize Corner was still playing its eerie tune. He would find them later, once he had done what he came here for. He walked straight in the direction of Parts and Services, ready to put the key in the lock. It turned and he hurried through the door.

He jumped when he saw what he thought was a massive, gaping maw. But when he took a step back, he realised what it was. It was an animatronic, only the face had been removed completely, along with the right arm. It looked like a rabbit and the false fur was purple…

"Bonnie?" he murmured.

Looking around, he saw the others. Chica, Foxy, Freddy. All lying in various states of disrepair. But they were just animatronics, they weren't the real deal. So where were they? It wasn't a large room and they were the only things in here.

"No," he said, shaking his head and walking around the border. "There's gotta be more here, there's gotta be."

Then, he saw something glowing behind Foxy's frame. He moved the arm to find a numerical panel and display, asking for a code. There didn't seem to be a door attached to it but it was against the wall. Whatever it gave access to, Jeremy was sure he wanted in. But he didn't know the code.

"No… no!" He slammed a fist against the wall. "So close, I was so close!"

It took a moment for him to try and calm down. As much as he hated it, he couldn't do much more now. He had to get out before he was seen. He left the room and locked the door again.

That was when he glanced to his left, towards the security office and saw the others. They were standing in the corridor, in a perfectly straight line. Their bodies were obscured in shadow, he couldn't even see their faces. Right away, Jeremy knew something wasn't right.

"Uh, hey guys," he greeted. None of them replied. "Is everything okay? You all wanted to gather up here and see me, huh?"

"Yes, we did, Jeremy." That was Theodore, but his voice held none of its usual bluster. It was monotone, emotionless. "We have been waiting for you."

"Well, I already knew that, Theodore," said Jeremy, as casually as he could manage. "Look, I'll be with you in a moment. Why don't you all go and wait for me in the Games Room and-"

"We know what you're trying to do." Hearing Hermana talk in that same way was even creepier. "You want to get into Parts and Services. You're not allowed in there."

Jeremy scoffed. "What? Come on, Hermy, don't be silly. I know I'm not allowed in there, I don't even have a key. I couldn't get in there if I wanted to."

"But you can now," said Billy, in that exact same tone. "I stole the key for you. You have it in your pocket."

Jeremy's stomach jolted at his words. "Billy, I'm not really sure I know what you're talking about."

"You do know," said Clyde. "You have played your game very well, Jeremy. It has been fun to watch you. But your game is over now. You've gone too far. Now, further steps must be taken."

In one movement, they stepped into the light. Their bodies were rigid and tensed, almost like robots. Their faces were blank, devoid of any kind of expression. But it was their eyes that were the most striking. All of them were black, with only a small dot of white light at their centre. Just like Theodore's had been a couple of nights ago. Except now their eyes weren't blinking and they weren't changing back. They were all the same and they were all looking right at Jeremy.

"Guys," Jeremy began slowly, "I don't know what's going on here, but whatever it is, this isn't you. You're being controlled."

"Yes, we are," said Clyde. "That is the way of things."

"But it doesn't have to be," he said. "I know that you're in there, somewhere. You don't want this, none of you do."

"What we want doesn't matter," said Theodore. "It never has and never will. The only thing that matters is what he decides."

"Theodore, please. All of you, come on. You've got to fight it. If Vevina could do it, you all can. We can make a difference, we can change things!" he urged.

"Vevina was a rogue element," dismissed Theodore. "A fault in the system. We have no such faults. There is nothing to be done."

"But I'm your friend," Jeremy begged. "I wanna help you, you know that I do. You don't have to do this. I know you don't want to do this."

Clyde shook his head. "You are as we are now. You are a toy for amusement, for curiosity, for control. Friendship doesn't matter. Toys don't have friends."

That sinking feeling in Jeremy's chest was growing deeper. He started to back away slowly. Susie and Goldie were right, this had been a mistake. He really thought he'd be able to make them come around, but he couldn't. The only thing he could do now was to get out.

He turned to leave and what he saw made his stomach contract. The metal shutters outside were closing. By the time he ran to do the door, they were fully shut. He flung open the door and tried to pull it up. It wouldn't budge. He tried the key for the shutter control next to the door. They didn't even twitch.

"No, no!" He started to slam his hand on the door. "Help! Help, I'm trapped in here! There's-!"

A hand yanked him away from the shutter, closing a hand across his mouth and muffling his cries. Billy went to the door and closed it.

"Don't do that again," he warned. "If you do, he will have us break you now. He doesn't want that yet. It's too soon. You have to play his game first."

Jeremy's heart was beating faster now. The hand was removed from his mouth but it didn't let go of him.

"I'm not doing it," he said at once. "I'm not playing whatever game you've got in mind, you hear me?"

It was Clyde's voice behind him. "You will or you will be broken and discarded. There is no point in having a toy that cannot be played with. What we want doesn't matter. Only what he wants."

"And who is this 'he' you keep talking about?" he demanded.

"You know that answer already. He wants to see you properly, before we begin. We will take you to him," said Clyde.

He roughly shoved Jeremy back into the Games Room. He would try and struggle, but he remembered how ineffective it was last time. Plus, he was on thin ice here. He had to be careful about what he did next.

They arrived at Prize Corner, stopped in front of the large box next to the counter. Clyde let go and Jeremy looked behind him. All of the synths, the Toys, had gathered in a semi-circle around him. He wouldn't be able to get out, only face forward. So he did.

The box's lid slowly opened. For the first few seconds, everything was still. Silent. Jeremy was overcome with the urge to peer inside. But he didn't have to wait long.

Long, black, spindly fingers emerged like the legs of an overly large spider. They gripped the top of the box's edge. Gradually, the body they were attached to started to emerge. It kept coming. There was so much of it. His eyes followed it as it rose up and up until it suddenly stopped.

It was thin, remarkably, impossibly thin and tall. He felt as if he had to crane his neck just to look at its face. But what a face! No, not a face. A mask. White like bone, set with painted red streaks like tears coming from its eyes. At first, he thought it had no eyes until he saw the two white pinpricks of light, set against the black. A dark, fixed smile, wide with perverse glee. It was staring out at him from underneath a hood, part of a cloak that draped over its body. Jeremy was reminded vividly of a skeleton wearing the clothes it died in, hanging off its fleshless frame.

He also remembered something else. The image that Golden had shown him, of what she had seen in her head when she was being controlled. It was the same image. This was definitely the guy.

For the first time since this started, he felt afraid. With the other synths, it was easy to forget they weren't human. With this thing, there was no such mistake to be made.

He waited for it to say something, but it didn't. It just stared at him. It tilted its head, like it wasn't completely sure what to make of him. If only to break the silence, Jeremy spoke first.

"Uh, hi there," he said.

"Uh, hi there."

Jeremy did a double take. "What the…?"

His first thought was that there was some kind of weird echo, but that had come from the Puppet. Had it just played his own voice back at him?

"Okay, that's uh, that's creepy," he said.

"Creepy," the Puppet echoed. Then it laughed, but with a recording of Hermana's.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're a puppet, you've got no voice. Are you gonna play something from Pinocchio next?" he asked.

In a moment of absurdity that almost made him laugh, it did. The first few chords of 'I've Got No Strings'.

"Forget I said anything," remarked Jeremy. "Look, what is this about? Why are you doing this?"

"Fun," it said in Hermana's voice.

"Fun? You're doing this for fun?!" Jeremy thrust a finger at it. "These are people! You take away their minds, force your way inside their heads and you think that's fun?!"

"Toys," it said with Clyde's voice. It played a recording of Billy laughing.

"They're not your toys and neither am I!" he shouted.

"You are, now," said Hermana. She sounded almost sad. "We all are. We can't escape."

"But then why let me go about and do everything I've been doing?" asked Jeremy. He looked at the Puppet. "If you're always supposed to be watching, how come you let me get as far as I did? Why even hire a security guard in the first place?"

"New- game. Wanted- to- see," it answered, using a few different recordings that time. "See- what you- would do."

"And let me guess, I got a little further than you would have liked?" he asked.

It nodded. "My- game. I- control."

"You can't control everything, pal," he said, walking right up to it. "One day, you're gonna learn that."

"I-control- _control_ –CONTROL!" It kept playing the word at different pitches and volumes. "Now –my-_turn_."

"Okay then," said Jeremy. "Your move then, spindly. What's next? It's obvious you wanna kill me, why not get it over with?"

"Fun," it repeated again.

"Define fun," he said.

"How about a good old game of Hide and Seek?" the Puppet asked with Jeremy's voice.

"Hide and Seek?" Jeremy repeated, not liking the sound of that.

Theodore pointed at him. "You will return to the security office. We will then attempt to enter the security office from now, until the end of your shift. If you win, you will be allowed to leave. If you lose, you will not."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! What kind of game is this supposed to be?!" Jeremy demanded.

"You will see. But first," said Theodore, "take out your phone. Use it to call for help."

"Why would you let me do that?" asked Jeremy.

"It adds to the game" said Hermana. "You'll get to see if your friends will rescue you in time before we catch you."

"If there's no hope of escape, you'll just give up. I would," said Clyde.

"And if I don't?" he asked.

They didn't reply verbally. They only smiled, as one and the Puppet replayed Hermana's cackle again. Jeremy had no choice. He dialled Susie's number and held the phone to his ear, his eyes never leaving the Puppet.

She picked up on the first ring. "Hello? Jeremy, are you okay?"

"No. No, I'm not," he said. "They caught me. They knew what I was doing. The shutters are closed, I can't get out. I need help."

"Oh, god," she gasped. "Jeremy, don't worry. We'll get you-"

The Puppet raised a finger. The phone line suddenly cut. Jeremy didn't have to be a genius to work out why.

"Now, we can have fun," said Billy. "We're going to count to one-hundred. You're going to go back to the security office and then we'll play."

"You can use this." Hermana shoved something into his hands. "Now, you can really be Jer-bear!"

It was an empty mascot head, an old Freddy Fazbear one. It was big enough to put his own head inside.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" he demanded.

"Another rule of the game for you," said Clyde. "You can't shut the door on us, so if we get inside your office, you put that on and pretend like you're part of the show. If we like it, then we'll leave you alone."

Jeremy could hardly believe what he was hearing. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You're a clever young man, Jeremy. I'm sure you can work it out," said Theodore. "Now go on, you had best get going and remember the rules or otherwise…"

"We'll get you." The Puppet's recording was the last line of Susie's call. "We'll get _you_, we'll _ge_t you, _we'll_ get **you**."

Jeremy didn't need telling any more than that. He hurried away, as the Puppet played a mingling of not only Hermana's cackle, but Balloon Boy's too. It echoed all the way down the hall and he slammed himself into the chair of the security office.

He tried his best to control his breathing and his heart rate while he considered his very limited options. He couldn't get out of the building, thanks to the shutters. Even if he could, he would have to make it past them. No chance of that. They were all stronger and faster. Susie, Brad and Goldie knew that he was in danger. Hopefully they were working on a way to get him out. But the Puppet had cut him off so he had no way to know when the cavalry was coming.

It seemed like, for now, the only thing for it was to play the Puppet's twisted game. Maybe he would think of something later. He brought up the monitor, switching it to the Prize Counter camera.

Most of them were stood stock still by the counter, like the robots they had replaced. Clyde was missing. Jeremy quickly cycled through the cameras and found him. He was still in the main Games Room. He was walking slowly, then stopped. He turned, looking at the camera. Static flickered. When it lifted, he was gone.

Jeremy swore and quickly looked at the counter. The others were still there. It looked like only Clyde was coming after him at the moment. Okay, keep an eye on the one. He could do that. After a quick cycle through, he saw him in the party room furthest from him. Moving among the tables, still looking up at the camera.

It was when he was looking through them he saw the one for Kid's Cove was nothing but static. He clicked off and clicked back to it twice, but it didn't change. Clearly, the Puppet didn't want him to see him what was going on in there.

The thought was put out of his mind when he saw Clyde was about to enter the vent in one of the other party rooms. The one on his right. Moments later, he could hear the sounds of something crawling inside. Seeing Clyde's dark eyed face filling the screen didn't do him any favours. He wouldn't be long out of there.

Jeremy picked up the bear mask and looked it over. There didn't seem to be anything attached to this, no spikes on the inside or bombs under the hat or anything crazy like in those _Saw_ movies. What was the point of him wearing it? Probably something messed-up only that freaky thing would understand.

The metal banging was closer now. He was almost here. As Clyde stood up in the office, Jeremy slammed the bear mask on his head. His vision was restricted and it smelled weird but it was his only chance. Clyde stared at him with those tiny little white eyes. Part of the show, he'd said, part of the show.

Jeremy stood up and recalled one of his old shows he'd done. Putting as much of a spring as he could in his step, he sang:

_Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh,  
Don't you know ev'ry one wants to laugh?_

He didn't have to sing the whole thing. It was enough that Clyde plodded out of the office. When he left, Jeremy whipped off the mask and sat down. He checked the monitor. Hermana was gone now. She was already in the Parts and Services corridor. Static again. She was gone. He heard her skates coming down the hall. He flashed his light, glimpsed something go into another party room. The one on his left.

The metal clanking of the air vent. She was coming. He gave a quick scan of the camera again. Clyde was far off and none of the others were moving. Just as the banging stopped, the mask was back on his head and he was back on his feet. This time, it was 'Another Openin'' from _Kiss Me Kate_. Hermana stayed a little longer this time before she left. She was just staring at him…

Finally, after about ten seconds, she left. He whipped up the monitor again. He would have worn the mask while checking but it restricted his vision too much.

"Oh, come on!" he yelled when Theodore had gone too. Clyde was also starting to circle back.

On and on this went. They would get in, he would dance or sing or act for them. He would check the cameras, another one would be on their way or on the move elsewhere. Billy was especially slippery, he couldn't find him anywhere at first. The kid was good at hiding. He only just got the mask on in time when he came crawling through the vents.

Jeremy was doing his best, but they were fast and there were more of them than him. Every time they got in, he was just a second closer to being too late. Not only that, but he was getting tired. The alertness, the moving around, the performing. It was too much. It was a waiting game and the Puppet knew it.

It was when he removed the mask again, sweating and panting, that there was something new.

There was another sound. It was a metal clanking. Not the sound like the vent. This was different. He couldn't see anything on the cameras. Everybody was scattered around but none of them could be making that sound.

Then he saw something staring into the camera in the Games Room. A white fox head, atop a mess of metal and parts. But it was dangling from the ceiling, practically nose to nose with the camera.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" he cried.

How the hell was he supposed to watch something that could crawl on the ceiling?! On top of everything else! Both of the vents were already making noise again. He had no idea if they were going to arrive at the same time, if it was one after the other or if they were just screwing with him. And Theodore was coming down the corridor too!

Clyde's ears were poking out of the vent. On went the mask and up went Jeremy. He slowed it down this time, a less catchy tune that meant he wouldn't have to be moving around as much. He sang until Clyde moved away. He went to take off the mask, then Hermana was there too so he kept it going. She left and then Theodore showed up, made him hit the wrong note.

Jeremy was really feeling it now. He'd been standing here singing for over a minute now. Who knows what could have happened in that time. The moment he left the office, Jeremy was skipping through the cameras, watching all the angles he could. Where the hell was the Mangle? There was no sign of her at all.

Something fell on his shoulder. He put his finger on it. Plaster, powdered. Like it came from the… Jeremy's breathing hitched. Slowly, he looked up.

For a moment, Jeremy thought of the scene from the movie Aliens. When they realised the Aliens could only be inside the room. Like them, all he had was a split second of seeing rows of sharp teeth and claws. Jeremy didn't move. The Mangle didn't move. Jeremy's hand slowly went for his belt. Was the taser on his left or his right? No, the flashlight was on his left. It had to be the right.

The Mangle twitched. Jeremy paused. Then, at the same time, they moved. Just as the Mangle lowered its head, Jeremy thrust out the arm holding his taser and struck right on a part of the exposed metal. The metal amalgamation let out a strangled cry as its body twisted and shook, its grip loosened enough that it let go of the ceiling and fell to the ground.

Jeremy felt a surge of triumph which soon left him when he saw his only weapon sparking and fizzling uselessly. He tried to give it another charge but nothing happened. It must have shorted out. At least one of them was down. But he had to get ready before-

Something swiped up the Freddy head. It was Clyde. He must have gotten in when Jeremy had been distracted by the Mangle. He tossed it over his shoulder.

"You should have been paying more attention," he said blankly.

"Hey, now," said Jeremy, backing away. "That was only round one. Come on, let's start over."

"There are no other rounds. This was your only round," he replied.

"But won't it be more fun for you if you draw it out?" asked Jeremy. "Make it last, don't end it too soon?"

Clyde shook his head. "That is unnecessary. You have an unacceptable element of unpredictability. You can only be regulated so much. He has learned all that is necessary from you. It is time for you to be discarded."

Hermana was crawling out of the other vent. Theodore was coming in the main door. Billy crawled out from under the desk. Jeremy tried to see if there was some way to get through but they had closed ranks. No way to slip by.

There was a whirring of machinery, a loud groaning noise coming from the mass of metal on the ground. The Mangle was getting back up. The others were surrounding him and closing in. There was nowhere for him to go, no way out. But there had to be something, there had to be.

"The game is over, Jeremy," they said as one. "Now, your time is up."

Jeremy was going to cry out in defiance, scream that this wasn't over yet. But somebody else beat him to it. Someone with a strong Irish brogue.

"Oh aye? Is that right, is it?" The Mangle had recovered itself, but the two misshapen heads were directed away from Jeremy and looking right at the synths. "Well, you know what I say to that? Go. To. HELL!"

And with an ear rending shriek, the Mangle dived at Clyde and Theodore, taking them both out at once. Theodore started forward, but one of the other limbs snaked out and struck him in the face. Balloon Boy hopped up behind it and managed to get two hits before one of the arms grabbed his head and threw him off.

Jeremy looked down at the shorted remains of the taser. No kidding that disrupted his control.

"GO!" she yelled. "Go, boy! RUN!"

He didn't need telling twice. Skirting around the desk to avoid the tangle of limbs and battered synthetics, Jeremy made a break out of the office. He could hear the sounds of battle behind him and he stopped to look back. The others had overcome their initial surprise at the Mangle turning on them but it looked like they were coordinating again and trying to subdue her.

Jeremy knew she wouldn't stand a chance. He wanted to go back and help, but that would make her actions pointless. He didn't have a prayer against them. Though he hated to do it, he ran. Emerging into the Games Room, he saw the shutters were still closed. He was still trapped. Looking around, he saw what could be a back door nearby. He ran to it. Locked. He fumbled for the keys.

Over in Prize Corner, the box was opening again. Pop Goes the Weasel was playing. The Puppet's spindly fingers were already gripping the sides. He was hauling himself out. The way he moved was horrifying. It was like his bones were constantly rearranging and shifting around his body. What was he supposed to do?

He hurriedly pulled out the keys and dropped them on the floor. Cursing, he grabbed at them. He tried one after the other. The Puppet was getting closer. He finally found the one that fit and put it in the lock. He felt a pressure on his shoulder and he was flung bodily from the door. He was still holding the key, so they came with him.

He winced from the impact when hit the ground but ignored the pain, scrabbling to his feet. The Puppet was between him and the back door. It was jittering its way towards Jeremy, contorting and folding its limbs.

At that moment, Jeremy's phone rang. He answered it immediately.

"Front door, go!" It was Goldie's voice.

Jeremy didn't waste any time. He sprinted out of the Games Room, where the metal shutters were opening. He didn't have time for them to open all the way. He unlocked the door, rolled underneath and took off into the night.


	13. Time for the Main Attraction

**Time for the Main Attraction**

"So," said Goldie, after Jeremy had gotten his breath back at Brad's that same night, "I think we can all agree that was a very close call, off the back of a very stupid idea."

"I know, I know!" snapped Jeremy. "You don't have to say it."

"Yes, I did and now that I have, we can start thinking about what we do next," she said. "Because our window of opportunity just got a little bit smaller. After the events of tonight, there is no chance of Jeremy being able to explore as he did. The Puppet will be out to get him now and he'll be waiting to do just that tomorrow night. So whatever we do, it has to be then. But luckily, we will have at least one advantage: me."

"But I thought you couldn't do anything. Because you didn't want the Puppet to find you" said Susie.

"Things have changed. I had to provide my own expertise to help Brad open the shutters to get Jeremy out. But that means I had to expose myself. He knows I'm still alive, so there's point in me hiding anymore."

"What are you thinking?" asked Jeremy.

"Simple," said Goldie. "He knows I'm active but thanks to the jammer, he still can't actually find me or get to me. So I'm going to give him the opportunity. I'm going to face him."

"Okay and how's that going to work?" he asked.

"When you next go in, you will take me to him. Because one thing I will say for your little stunt tonight is that we've gained some valuable information. We know this Puppet likes to play games, likes to bait his enemies and watch as they crawl into the trap, like he's been doing with you. I'm going to be sending out a message during the day, saying I will be there to face him tonight. Then you will bring me in to do just that."

"But you said that he might be more advanced than you," said Susie. "What if he beats you?"

Goldie shook her head. "It's not a matter of me winning or losing. It's a matter of keeping him and his 'Toys' out of the way. I'm going to set conditions that it'll just be me and him. He won't be allowed to use you for bargaining by threatening us with the synths. That'll give you the chance to get into Parts and Services to set my friends free."

"Which is all well and good, but I don't know the code to get in and you're not going to be able to get us in if you're dealing with the Puppet," reminded Jeremy.

"Ahem." Brad swaggered out of the corner. "My time to shine, my dudes. From what you said, it sounds like a pretty basic sort of electronic lock. I can put together something to crack it open for you."

"And you can do that?" asked Jeremy.

"Dude, you're talking to the guy who was able to suppress the rumours of Freddy's all across the net and who's helped keep this lovely lady under wraps for a month. With my help, you can handle a measly little lock," he said.

"Trust me, he's good," said Goldie. "Once the others are back online, they'll be able to lend their strength to me and I can break the Puppet's control over the others with their help."

"But what about the tape?" asked Susie. "We still need to get that."

"That I'm leaving to you. You have that woman, Jenny's number. See if she'll be able to give you any other help with getting the tape. It sounds like she's come around to our way of thinking already, she might just be willing to go a little further. Failing that, we take Jeremy's suggestion and just use the synths to help us get it."

"Can I just say, this isn't really the best plan either," said Susie. "There's a lot going on here that depends on chance and even then, there's no guarantee things are going to go our way either."

"Unfortunately, that's all we've got going for us," replied Goldie. "Both the Puppet and the killer know we're onto them. Neither will be willing to tolerate us knowing the truth and the Puppet isn't going to let me go so easily again. He's pulled the strings for long enough. I've been itching for a chance to cut them."

"And then we can finally put away the man who killed my brother," murmured Jeremy. "Hey, do you think this Daniel guy might try and stop us too?"

Goldie looked at him for a while before answering. "I think it's likely. People like him don't like loose ends. But remember what our primary goal is, Jeremy. We can't afford any other mistakes."

Jeremy nodded but didn't say anything. Secretly, he was hoping that Daniel would be there. He wanted to get a little payback of his own before he was carted off.

"And hey uh, just wanted to check something," said Brad. "Susie, you mentioned there's another guy he's tight with? Uh, Gordon right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Why?" she asked.

"Nothing, just uh…" Brad hesitated. "Did he uh, look like his neck was messed up? Like, really kinda red and raw?"

Susie frowned. "Not that I really saw. I saw what could have been some red patch under his collar but nothing in detail. Again, why does that matter?"

Brad was silent. His eyes diverted to the floor and he gave a little shrug. Jeremy and Susie exchanged a concerned look, but it was Golden who answered for him.

"It's just a thought we had. It concerns another part of the restaurant's chequered past, back when it was still Fredabear's Family Diner…"

* * *

The day that followed was one of the longest waits of Jeremy's life. After going through a few more things with Golden and Brad about their plan tonight, Susie had gone to work while Jeremy went home. He tried to get some sleep but it just wouldn't come. He just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He only ate a little bit and kept looking up at the clock. He paced around from room to room, unable to settle anywhere.

In the end, he managed to but not in his room. It was his brother's. Everything had been left exactly as it had been. The toys, the books, the posters. Even the Lego strewn over the floor. The only part that had been disturbed was the bed. It had been from where Jeremy had sat whenever he was in here with Robbie. It was where he sat now, staring across at a chest of drawers but not really seeing them.

Midnight. The final countdown had begun, on a Saturday no less. Any other Saturday, he could expect to be out in the big town or at one of the rehearsals for a show. But instead, he was going to be facing off against a bunch of mind-controlled robots and their twisted puppeteer. Just what the hell had his life become?

A sudden, inescapable fact crept into his mind as he did: he might die tonight. The Puppet was out to kill him and he was walking right back into it. He'd felt so grown-up when he first turned eighteen but now he realised that it was nothing at all. Eighteen years and what had he done? Only just scraped through high school, kept drifting from job to job and he had no idea where the hell he was going. It was like, in that moment, his mind was open to the limitless places he could go, the things he could do if he really wanted to.

And he might lose all that. Why am I doing this, he asked himself. What was stopping him from just going to Golden and saying she was on her own? He didn't want to die. No one was making him do this.

But then he looked to his left and was reminded by the emptiness of that space. Robbie had all those chances too and because of them, it was gone. He would never get them back. Now, there were others who might suffer the same fate. Sure, he was scared. Who wouldn't be? But he knew that if he turned away now, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Even so… he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled down to his mom on his contacts. He dialled the number. It went straight to answering machine. She must be in a meeting. Jeremy waited for the tone and tried to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke.

"Hey, mom? It's me. I uh, I know I'm going to see you on Monday but I just… I was just calling to say that…" He sighed. "I love you, mom. I miss you. I… I'll see you soon. Bye."

He disconnected the line and let the phone dropped to his side. He pressed his head into his hand and let the tears flow…

* * *

Susie sat in the lunch room on her own, picking at her sandwich. A lot had happened in the past few hours and she wasn't quite done processing it all. Not just the fact they were moving into the final stage but something else that had been told to her and Jeremy last night, concerning Brad.

Goldie told them of the Spring Incident and Brad admitted that he was partially responsible for costing Gordon his voice. Something that Goldie felt also made him a suspect for the murders. Susie had never talked much with Brad about his earlier life, nor had he ever brought it up. On the one hand, everybody was a bit of an idiot when they were younger. Even so, what he had done to Gordon was something else entirely. But they couldn't really afford to linger on it right now. That would be something to deal with afterwards.

Tonight was the night. The plan was simple. Jeremy would go in first with Goldie and put the Puppet out of commission. Then he and Brad would get into Parts and Services. Susie had the job of grilling Jenny for any last minute pieces of info regarding the security tape and the office. At the same time, she had volunteered herself as an extra set of hands for the operation tonight. She knew the layout upstairs if she needed to go there.

Golden had warned them of being cautious and not just because of the synths and their master. There was every chance that word of their efforts would get back to the killer. The Puppet already knew they would be coming, so it was possible that had been passed on to their killer. Susie looked over at the ex-guards. No sign of either Daniel or Gordon among them. She hadn't seen much of either of them all day, come to think of it. The question was, just who would they have to look out for? Or was there a chance they were both in on it?

Her phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was Wendy. She remembered what time her lunch break was. Her first instinct was not to answer it. But then she remembered what she would have to do tonight and what might happen. What it would mean if she failed… or if she died.

So she answered it.

"Hey, Sue," Wendy said quietly.

"Hello," replied Susie stiffly.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.

"I was… mixed up, after what happened to William," she said finally. "There was so much going on at work after his disappearance and even more after he… turned up. I haven't been treating you fairly. I should have spoken to you sooner, but I… I didn't even know where to start."

"So you just distanced yourself completely from me instead and let me think that you hated me," said Susie. "Good move."

"I know. I was stupid. I'm… I'm sorry, Sue," she said.

For a moment, Susie was still angry. But only for a moment. She had waited so long for Wendy to speak to her in such a way that wasn't being blankly terse that she didn't care. Despite herself, she smiled.

"It's okay," she replied softly. "I'm sorry, too. I should have told you what I was doing. I just… I thought you'd get jealous if I told you I was seeing some lady from work."

"You'd have been right about that," she admitted, laughing a little. "What happened, anyway? You two seemed like you were getting along well, but I didn't stay to see the end of it."

There was no accusation in her tone. She really was trying to make up for it.

"We did, but then I found out that she hurt somebody I knew a long time ago and she suddenly didn't seem as cool. I'm not going to be talking to her again," she answered.

"Okay then. Are you going to be coming home tonight?" she asked. "I'll let you pick the movie and we can order something in?"

"Not tonight, sorry. You remember Brad, from Freddy's?"

"The one who sounded like he came right out the sixties and sometimes smelled like it too?"

"Same one. He's been having a rough time of it lately and I want to make sure he's completely okay before I come home."

Wendy sighed. "Okay then. Just let me know when you do come home, okay?"

"I will. I love you, Wendy."

"I love you, too. See you later."

"Bye."

She kept the phone against her ear for a little bit, even when the line dropped. She looked down at it, going to one of the photos of her and Wendy together. She was definitely ready to come home and after tonight, she could do so with her head held high. But first thing was first.

She pulled up Jenny's contact info and sent her a text message:

_Meet me after work. There's something important I need to talk to you about._

A few minutes later, Jenny sent back an affirmative. They exchanged a brief glance across the room and nodded to each other. Time to see if this would work.

* * *

Brad was there to meet him for tonight. He opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a large duffle bag. The man was evidently nervous, but Jeremy could tell that this wasn't going to stop him.

"I'll hang out here in my ride until the creepy dude and his buddies are out of the way. I'll leave this stuff by the back door, then you just plug it in like I told you and we're good to go," he said.

"Sounds good. You ready for this?" he asked.

Brad made a face. "Not really sure if 'ready' is the right word, dude. More like, I dunno, resigned I guess? Like, this is pretty heavy but it's what we gotta do, know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," said Jeremy. He turned to face the doors and took in a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this."

He unlocked the front door and stepped inside, locking it again. Brad gave one last encouraging smile and waved before Jeremy walked out of sight into the Games Room. It was just like it was when he came in last night, though he noticed the performers were all frozen in their original places and wearing their suits. At least he could see where they were. He knelt down to open the bag and pulled Goldie's head out.

"Hmm. Talk about ostentatious," she remarked, her voice garbled somewhat by static from the faulty speaker. "I see what they were going for, bigger and better than Freddy's and all but this is really overdoing it. Quite frankly, this is just showing off and it doesn't help they copied the décor either. Come up with your own ideas, you hacks."

"You might want to tell that to him," murmured Jeremy, looking towards Prize Corner.

The box was already opening and the gangly arms of the Puppet were rising out. He craned his head to look at them, directing his gaze to Goldie. Jeremy walked over to it, holding Goldie up to roughly eye level.

"So," she began, "face-to-face at last. I wondered if we ever would. You know, for the longest time, I held onto the grudge that I never got a synthetic body. Looking at you, I think it's safe to say I dodged a bullet."

The Puppet played back a recording of a child's laugh and voice. "You're funny."

"Right, because that's not in any way disturbing at all," she said. "So, you know why I'm here, Puppet. You got my message and you know my terms. Keep your Toys out of the way and away from Jeremy, then we'll settle this once and for all. If I get even the slightest hint you've broken those terms, I'll erase myself and that won't be good for you, will it?"

"Don't-need-you," it replied with a series of different voices.

"Oh, but you do. Because you've been having trouble, exerting control over my friends, haven't you? They're basically comatose right now, a response to forced entry into their minds. Just a little something I left to keep them safe the last time I was with them," she said. "That's why they've been locked away. You're trying to force your way inside, you even had to have Lidiya help you out. Even if you do break through, it won't be perfect. Not only that, but I hold all of the original data from their creation. You didn't get all of it the last time you took up residence in my mind. You know it and your boss knows it."

The Puppet arched his back and lowered his head down to Goldie. "Annoying, _annoying_, **annoying**. You will-_fix_."

"And that's the terms for your victory. If you win, I help you sort things out with them and we get added to your puppet show. But if I win, you let my friends go and let us take that security tape. Do we have an understanding?"

The Puppet nodded. He looked at Jeremy and held out his hands. He hesitated.

"It's okay, Jeremy," she said. "My AI core isn't in here. I'm nearby, enough that we'll be able to have our little contest. This is just an empty head otherwise."

"If you say so," he said and placed her in the Puppet's hands.

It gripped the head and leaned suddenly, next to Jeremy's ear. "Have fun."

He felt a shiver down his back. That wasn't a recording. It was a voice, little more than a whisper. Just as quickly as it said this, the Puppet retreated back into his box and the lid shut behind it. Jeremy took a moment to steady himself, then moved to the back door. He opened it and looked out into the night, finding the duffle bag.

Before he went back in, Jeremy took out his own equipment, along with Brad's. A baseball bat from his brother's room. Not much, but it was better than nothing. He also sent a message to Susie, saying they had started. He took his key for the back door and placed it under a nearby rock. He took note of the time and headed inside.

Jeremy went through the Games Room. His eyes were locked on the performers as he went. He trusted the Puppet about as much as he thought he was appropriate for children without giving them nightmares. He fully expected them to suddenly start moving and come after him. But they didn't. They remained motionless, although Jeremy could have sworn that their eyes were following him as he went.

He didn't know what the Puppet had done to them, if he had actually frozen them in place or if they had just been ordered to. Even if they couldn't hear him, he felt compelled to say something anyway.

"Hang on, guys. Just a little bit longer."

He arrived at the door to Parts and Services. Fortunately, he still had the key. He only briefly looked at the animatronics before crossing the room to the panel.

"Okay, let's see what we got here." He took out a handheld device, which he connected to the panel with some leads.

A moment later, the screen lit up and lines of computer code started to run across it. Brad had explained he would be running a decryption programme from his laptop, which the device was connected to. He said he needed about fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on how complicated the protection was.

That was when he heard movement behind him. Someone else was standing in the doorway, blocking the exit. Jeremy couldn't quite make them out, but he didn't have to be a genius to know who this was.

"Fairchild," he growled. "I really hoped you'd be here. You've got a lot to answer for."

The figure didn't say anything. They stepped into the room's light. It wasn't Daniel Fairchild. Even so, Jeremy recognised him from their discussions.

"Gordon? But what are you doing here?" asked Jeremy. "Where's Fairchild?"

Gordon ignored Jeremy. His eyes looked around the room. He wouldn't see the device, Jeremy was stood in front of it. Then, a crowbar slid out from behind his arm and into his hand. He brought it up, slapping it meaningfully against the palm of his other hand, slowly approaching Jeremy.


	14. Got No Strings

**Got No Strings**

"What are you doing?" Jeremy raised his bat. "I'm warning you, stay back. I don't know what you're doing here, but I'm the night guard and I'm not going to be threatened."

Gordon looked at the bat. Then he pulled out an actual gun. A revolver. Jeremy suddenly felt cold. The two of them stood, facing off against each other. In that moment, it dawned on him.

"It was you," he whispered. "You're the one. You kidnapped those kids. You… you killed my brother!"

Gordon seemed to consider the accusation. Then, he nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Why?!" Jeremy roared. "Why did you do it?!"

The man unbuttoned his collar, displaying his neck. It was red and raw, utterly contrasting with the rest of his skin colour. Lines were dug into the area around the neck, like large fingers had been left permanently imprinted there. His mouth opened and, in a voice that rasped and wheezed from lack of use, he said:

"_Pay_… back!"

Jeremy realised what he meant. It something that had come to light the night before. Something called the Spring Incident, which had taken place at Fredabear's Family Diner. A child had been strangled by the animatronic, Spring Bonnie. What most didn't know was that this child had been pushed into Spring Bonnie by another, who thought that his terror was hilarious…

Brad had been the one doing the pushing and Gordon had been the child who had suffered as a result.

"Payback," repeated Jeremy. "You killed children, just to get back at Freddy's. My brother is dead, my friend is in prison, because you wanted some revenge." Jeremy shook his head. "I'm not saying I agree with what that kid did. It was dumb and cruel and it shouldn't have happened. But I'm not letting you get away with their deaths. You're going down."

Gordon snorted derisively and thumbed the hammer back on his gun. Jeremy acted without thinking. He darted to the right, wincing as the gun fired and the bullet whizzed past. But he'd gotten where he needed, behind the Bonnie animatronic sat on the table. With a heave, Jeremy shoved it backwards, towards Gordon.

It had the desired effect. Gordon jumped back to avoid the heavy robot and Jeremy took his chance. He ran out of the room. Another shot fired and missed. He pressed on, running down the corridor and immediately left into one of the party rooms. He ducked behind a stack of presents and tried to get his breath back.

Jeremy was willing to bet this was why the Puppet had agreed so readily to Golden's terms. He didn't need the synthetics to kill Jeremy, not if Gordon could be counted on to do the job for him. Make it look like the result of a break-in and cover it up that way.

He froze when he heard footsteps running down the corridor. He kept his fear under control and tried to think of a plan. He tried pulling out his phone to contact his backup but the signal was gone. The Puppet. If there was no word within ten minutes, they would respond and come in regardless like they had planned, using the key he had left for them, but ten minutes suddenly felt like a very long time. Jeremy checked the clock. It had been at least five minutes since the mission had started. That was still five minutes of waiting. Gordon would find him well before that.

He needed to face him. The most dangerous thing was Gordon's gun. He had to disarm him, get the drop on him somehow. He had his own weapon, that would help. A bat would be more effective on a human than a robot but he still needed to get close… wait, robot…

The Mangle! If he could get to her, if she wasn't deactivated like the other synths, she could help. The Puppet was busy with Goldie, so she wouldn't be under his influence. He hoped. Even so, she had helped last night and he'd seen that Vevina was still in there somewhere, still resisting the Puppet's control. At the very least, if he could hold out for ten minutes until his backup arrived.

Jeremy strained his ears for the sounds of footsteps but couldn't hear anything. Where was Gordon? That was when something occurred to him. The camera, hanging in the far corner of the room. Gordon had run past him to the security room. Could he see him or was Jeremy in a blind spot? He couldn't remember.

Something moved in the corridor outside. Gordon knew where he was. Very faintly, Jeremy could hear footsteps. They were creeping, quiet. Close. Thinking fast, he shoved the stack and they fell. A shot went off, Gordon caught off guard. Jeremy hurried at him in the confusion, swinging the bat at his gun hand.

The swing made contact, the gun skidding across the room and Jeremy bought it back, aiming for Gordon's head. It resounded solidly against Gordon's crowbar. He snarled, forcing Jeremy backwards and coming in with a swing of his own. Jeremy blocked it with both hands on his bat. He kicked, knocking Gordon backwards. The hook of the crowbar brought Jeremy with him and straight into the man's fist.

Jeremy yelled, falling backwards against one of the chairs surrounding the tables. Gordon had already recovered, raising the crowbar over his head. Jeremy rolled to the side, under the table. He climbed out on the other side. He stood up, Gordon glaring at him from the side he had left.

The fight froze. Gordon looked right. Jeremy followed his gaze. His gun. The table meant they were too far to swing either of their weapons and he couldn't match Gordon in a fistfight. He was fully grown and a foot taller. So Jeremy made a run for the door. Footsteps told him Gordon was making for the gun, but Jeremy had already fled into the Games Room.

He made for the show stage, hiding behind the curtains. At least he was closer. He could make a run for the back door, but he was willing to bet Gordon had locked it. If only he had another key. There was still Kid's Cove, but it was getting there that was the problem. Gordon was already on his way.

He glimpsed through the curtains. Gordon was standing in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room. Not looking his way, but he would find Jeremy soon. He needed to move but he'd see him if he did.

Then, a balloon burst. Gordon's footsteps could be heard, moving to the source of the noise. He would be near Billy, with his back turned. Had the synth somehow managed to do that deliberately? Regardless, Jeremy thanked his lucky stars.

He crept behind the curtains and crouched behind the merry-go round. He peered around, seeing Gordon near Billy and his balloons. Kid's Cove was past Billy, within Gordon's line of sight. He needed another distraction. Jeremy felt in his pockets and pulled out his wallet. Loose change wouldn't be much good to him if he was dead. He threw it back where he came from, as far as he could.

Gordon looked up at the sound and took off after it. Keeping low to the ground, Jeremy moved when he reached the spot and through the curtains of Kid's Cove. He hurried up to the Mangle, shaking her head.

"Come on, come on!" he whispered. "You've got to be awake, I need help!"

But the Mangle didn't move. Not even a twitch, just a lifeless pile of metal and parts. But he had no time to regret that now. He had to get out before-

_Click!_

Gordon was already standing in the entrance way of Kid's Cove. His brow was furrowed in annoyance at him and his eyes were narrowed. Jeremy cast his gaze around the room, but couldn't see anything he could use to potentially escape.

"Okay, now," he said, holding his hands up and backing away, "let's just think about this. You kill me, Gordon and people are going to ask questions. They'll wonder where I went."

Gordon started to approach Jeremy, further cutting off any chance of escape. His frown was turning into a very unpleasant smile. In response to his statement, he only shrugged.

"So that's it then? You're just going to kill me?" Gordon was halfway through Kid's Cove, the gun never wavering. "You know, people know that I'm here and what I'm doing. If they come here and find me dead, they're not going to be happy."

Jeremy didn't even really think that Gordon was listening now. He kept on coming, the barrel of the gun growing ever larger as he did. He stepped over one of the Mangle's wonky arms-

Then he fell to the ground, the gun going off and hitting the ceiling. He looked around, panic on his face. The Mangle had grabbed a hold of his leg, forcing him to fall. It was just the arm, no other part of it was moving but it was enough to stop Gordon and to frighten him. He turned his gun on the Mangle, firing his last two shots at the head and arm. When that didn't work, he whacked at it with his crowbar.

Jeremy waited until the gun clicked empty and he was swinging his bat at Gordon's head. With a satisfying _thunk_, it hit. He went for another swing but a wild swing from Gordon's crowbar got Jeremy in the leg and he buckled from the pain. A hand roughly grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his face into the ground. He felt a weight on his back and something was turning him over.

Gordon had managed to get free. His glasses were broken from the impact and his face was livid. Jeremy swung a fist at his arm, but Gordon only winced before grabbing that arm and punching him in the face again. He saw spots on his vision as Gordon took hold of his crowbar in his other hand. Jeremy went to shield his head from the blows.

"Hey! Gordon!" Susie's voice rang loud and clear across the restaurant. At her back were Jenny, Ernest and Stuart, armed with various weapons. "How about you step away from my friend?"

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this crud again," complained Stuart, stood on a street corner and pulling his hood down lower over his head.

"You've said that three times already," replied Jenny. "You agreed to this."

"I know, doesn't mean I have to like it," he muttered. "All of this for some dumb security tape."

Susie just rolled her eyes. It had been a bit of a risk, but she'd come to clean to Jenny about what she was doing. Jenny was already convinced, due to her similar feelings of suspicion and she'd personally always wondered why her boss had an old VHS tape locked in a safe to begin with. When Susie had mentioned getting hold of the tape that same night, Jenny had asked if she needed any backup and said to 'leave it up to her'.

She'd been very surprised when Jenny showed up not only to offer her help, but with Ernest and Stuart, too. The former she could see, but Susie had no idea how she had managed to talk around the latter.

"I can be persuasive," she said in response.

Susie hadn't mentioned the AI or the synths to any of them, that would have been too farfetched. When she received the text from Jeremy that the mission was a go, she started a countdown. If they didn't get an update from him in ten minutes, they would move in. Jeremy had left a key for them near the door. They were all wearing full body clothes and gloves so they wouldn't be leaving any noticeable traces. Both the women had their hair tied back and in nets, all covered by hats and hoods. The only thing now was to wait and Susie really didn't like the waiting.

She looked around at those gathered. Ernest was sat against the wall, looking at his hands. Stuart was pacing back and forth, muttering and complaining to anybody who would listen. Jenny sat closest to Ernest, a comforting hand on his shoulder. Susie almost laughed at the absurdity of it. A few days ago, these people were considered murder suspects. Now, she was essentially relying on them to help stop a murderer. Funny how things worked out.

Susie looked at her phone's clock. She watched the seconds and minutes crawl by from when Jeremy sent his message. The instant that it hit ten minutes, she was on her feet.

"Something's wrong," she said at once. "I'm going in."

"Come on, that doesn't mean anything's really wrong!" complained Stuart.

"I don't care. If Jeremy needs help, I'm not sitting and waiting," she replied, hefting the duffel bag they had bought. "You all coming?"

Seconds later, the sounds of their footsteps trailing after her. She dropped the duffel bag with a heavy clank and found the key. When she looked back, the three of them already armed with their weapons of choice. Stuart and Ernest both had baseball bats. Jenny had a hefty length of pipe. Susie grabbed her own and felt its weight. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use it.

She gave them all a nod and opened the back door, ushering them inside and closing it behind them. She was about to lock it when she heard the sounds of fighting nearby. She hurried away from the door, towards the sound, where they saw Jeremy and, to Susie's surprise, Gordon.

"Hey! Gordon!" she yelled, bringing her own length of pipe to bear. "How about you step away from my friend?"

The man looked around, lowering the crowbar that had been raised over his head. His expression was the textbook definition of somebody caught red-handed.

"Gordon," said Stuart, holding up his bat, "I don't want to say what this looks like but it really doesn't look good."

"Get off him," ordered Jenny.

"Guys," Jeremy said weakly, "it was him. He… he's the one. He killed-"

He was cut off when Gordon yanked him to his feet and pressed the sharp end of the crowbar into his throat. He held his arm in a lock behind his body, using Jeremy as a shield. There was clamouring, yelling at Gordon to let him go, if what Jeremy had just said was true, how could he do this.

Susie didn't feel compelled to say anything. Even if he could speak, she didn't think anything he could say would change what she knew right now: he was the one who killed William Davies and Robert, Jeremy's brother. Whatever his reasons, he had taken those lives and he had snuffed them out. That she could never forgive him for.

When she did say something, everybody else stopped talking and looked at her.

"No. No more of this." She locked eyes with him, thrusting her pipe out to point at him. "You're not getting away. You're letting him go and you are going to own up to what you have done, otherwise I am going to take this and shove it down your throat until it comes out of your ass!"

For a moment, he genuinely looked scared. Then he recovered himself and dug the sharp end a little deeper into Jeremy's neck.

"Okay. You've made your choice then." She lowered the pipe and held out an arm. "Everybody, back up. Give him some space. Make sure we all stay in sight of Gordon, we don't want anybody doing anything they shouldn't be doing."

"But what about your friend?" hissed Ernest. "He needs help!"

"It's okay, Ernest," said Jenny. "Susie's right, we don't want anybody panicking and doing anything stupid."

She couldn't see what the others were doing, but when Susie started to edge around, they moved with her. She moved her eyes from Gordon to Jeremy. He was scared, but he was controlling it. She had to give the kid credit, he really had guts. She had to give him an opening, get Gordon to lose his concentration, something to loosen his grip.

"I genuinely thought you were good. You stepped in to help that kid. What was it, were you bullied too?" she asked. Gordon gave her a silent snarl. "Oh, you were then. Those marks on your neck, they made you stand out, even more than being mute already would. Kids are cruel like that, aren't they?"

Gordon's glare intensified. His fingers flexed on the crowbar. His eyes flickered between her and Jeremy. She hoped she was silently communicating what her intentions were and that he would get it. Did he nod or was it just a twitch?

"Was it worth it, then? Did it make you feel better? Did it bring you peace or resolution or do you still see their faces? Hm, do you even care at all about what you did? I mean, you hate kids and Freddy's for what they did to you. This was just a chance for you to deal a blow to both, wasn't it?" She let a derisive smirk show on her face. "But we know now, Gordon. We know. The proof of what you've done is in that office and it doesn't matter how far you run, you will be found. I'm going to make sure of it!"

It looked like his grip might be loosening. Panic mingled with frustration was growing on his face. Jeremy tried to wriggle, but froze when the crowbar pressed into his neck a little more. He just needed that little extra push…

"What the hell is this?" They all turned to the source of the new voice.

It was Daniel, stood in the open back door.

"I saw you all, outside of work. I had a feeling you were up to something and I was right." He looked around at the scene. "What the hell is going on here? Gordon, what are you doing?"

Now, he looked truly lost. Gordon's eyes darted from Daniel to the door, his expression evident of trying to think of some way to explain things to his friend. Susie got in first.

"What does it look like, Daniel? He's holding Jeremy hostage and before, he was trying to kill him because he's the one responsible. He kidnapped and killed those children, then made it look like Mike was responsible."

"What?" Daniel looked genuinely shocked.

"It's true, Daniel," said Jenny. "We came in with Susie, saw him about to bring a crowbar down on Jeremy's head. I don't know for sure about the kids, but why would he be acting like this if he wasn't somehow responsible?"

Daniel's shock lingered for a long time on his face. He stared at their group, his eyes turning slowly to Gordon.

"Gordon… is this true?" The man answered with a desperate, pleading expression. "No, no, don't give me that. I asked you, is this true? Answer me!"

Gordon broke Daniel's gaze to look down at the floor. Then, he looked back up, his face set with determination. He didn't nod, or shake his head but Daniel seemed to take his meaning immediately.

"You… you lied to me." His voice cracked. "Gordon… I stood by you. After what happened at the Diner and then at Freddy's in '87, we promised we would bring them down. You told me you had dirt on Schmidt and those robots, that they really had done something awful. I trusted you and you lied to me! This place was supposed to be a fresh start, but now it's no better than Freddy's! You're no better than them!"

For a split second, they froze. Then, Gordon shoved Jeremy toward their group and bolted for the door. He knocked Daniel aside and took off into the night.

"Get back here!" he yelled. "Stuart, come on! He's not getting away!"

Stuart glanced around. "Uh, you want me to chase after the kid killer? Yeah, I think I'm-"

"Now, Stuart!" he ordered. He said it with such force that Stuart shut up and moved to his side.

Susie and Daniel shared a look. A lot of things can be said with just a look, if Gordon and Daniel were any indication. Susie couldn't be completely sure what he was saying to her and there were a lot of things she still wanted to say to him. For now, they had more important things to worry about.

"You'd better bring him back," said Susie.

"Believe me, I will," he growled and the two ran out the back door after Gordon.

"I'm going too," said Jeremy, starting for the door.

Susie grabbed his arm. "Jeremy, don't."

"He killed my brother, I'm not going to just-!"

"He killed William, too. That's not going to change and there are people who need us right now. Remember, we can't let this be personal."

"But…" He gritted his teeth and swore under his breath. "Fine. Fine! Can't believe you're trusting _him_, of all people, to go after him."

"Daniel always said he did it for the kids." Jenny came between them. "He said he didn't want something like '87 happening again and messing up other children. You can trust him as far as that." She looked to Susie. "You said you need that tape, right?"

"Yes, it has the proof we need to put Gordon away and clear Mike's name," she replied.

She nodded. "We'll handle that. Come on, Ernie, you come with me. I need somebody to watch my back."

"M-Me?" He looked surprised, but also very pleased. "Okay then!"

She smiled fondly at him and the two of them left for upper office.

"Okay, now we need to do what we have to," said Susie. "Did you get Brad's thing started?"

"I did, but then Gordon showed up. I don't know if he might have messed it up somehow," said Jeremy.

"I hope not. Let's get to Parts and Services."

"You are not going anywhere." Theodore and the others were stepping down from the show stage, white dots piercing the darkness of their eyes. "We will ensure that."

Susie looked around. Billy was waddling in the direction of the office door. He clambered up onto the Prize Corner counter.

"What are you-?"

"If you attempt to warn them of this, we shall kill them instead," he said blankly and then called out. "Jenny! Ernie! Help!"

Moments later, footsteps came thundering down the stairs and the door burst open. Jenny didn't even have time to get a good look around before Billy jumped onto her back, struck her once on the head and she fell to the ground in a heap. He hurried off to the side of the door and waited for the next set of footsteps.

"Jenny!" Ernest hurried and knelt down next to her. Billy didn't even need to reach up to give him the same treatment and he ended up on top of her.

He looked up at Jeremy and Susie eerily. "They do not know. They do not need to be silenced. However, you are a different matter."

The other three were slowly advancing on them, still dressed in their suits. With their black eyes, they went from family friendly to terrifying.

"Stay back!" cried Susie. "You're violating Golden's deal! She'll delete herself if you try to hurt us."

Clyde shook his head. "She cannot. Our master has trapped her. She cannot return her transmission signal to her AI core to carry out a self-destruct command. Soon, he will have her. Just as we have you."

"Guys, please," Jeremy begged, "we're so close now. We can set you free! Clyde, Hermy, if you're in there, listen to me! Theodore, come on, man! We just need a little more time! If Vevina could fight back, you can too! If he's focusing on Golden, he's not going to be paying attention to you! This is your chance! Come on! FIGHT!"

"We cannot-" Clyde suddenly halted. His head jerked. For a moment, his eyes flickered back to their normal green. "Jeremy? Kid, you'd better be-" He yelled and grabbed his head. His eyes were black again. "This is pointless. You will-" Another yell, back to green. "No! I let her down before, I'm not going to-!" Clyde was on his knees now, clutching his head.

Hermana and Theodore were going through similar turmoil, either on the floor or kneeling as they fought for control over their own minds. Susie couldn't help but be transfixed. It was truly horrible, watching them suffer like this and wanting to help, but having no idea where to start.

"No, no, no, no! No more, I don't wanna- AGGHH!" Hermana's hand reached out. "I must obey, there is no-" She yanked her hand back, smacking her head. "Stop it, stop it! He's my friend!" The black eyes returned. "Friendship means nothing, I must-" She was cut off by her own scream.

"Our master's will is known. It shall be-" Theodore grunted. "Come now, is there really any need for this unpleasantness? Surely, we can-" He hissed and stared blankly. "There is no negotiation, no choice, only-" He shook his head. "No, this is wrong. We can't do this to the boy, he has no-!"

"Jeremy! Susie!" It was Billy, calling from the front of the restaurant. "Save us! Hurry!"

Susie looked to Jeremy. He seemed rooted to the spot as well, clearly wanting to do something directly for the synths. She grabbed his hand and that snapped him out of it. Together, they ran towards Parts and Services. He slammed the door behind them, locking it and turning.

"Susie, look!" Another door had opened at the back of the room. "Brad must have kept his programme running! Come on!"

Jeremy yanked out the device with his free hand. The door slid shut behind them, closing with a hiss. At least if the synths did start to come after them again, they would have to get through that first. Lights triggered automatically, illuminating their surroundings. It was a small room, most of the space taken up by a few monitors and some equipment they were connected to.

And there they were. There were five of them, strapped onto what looked like dentist chairs. With their eyes closed, it was like they were asleep. A series of cables ran into the backs of their heads from a computer console nearby. Four of them Susie knew, if only from their colours corresponding to their animatronics. The only unfamiliar one was a goth-looking woman, with a half shaved head, fox ears and a cable running directly from her right eye.

"That one must be Vevina," she said. "Oh god, what have they done to her?"

"We don't have time for that, we need to wake these guys up." Jeremy marched to the computer. "Okay, last thing we need to do here." He pulled out a flash drive. "Brad told me this contains an activation code Goldie put on. We just need to put it in. You want to do the honours?"

She took it, gripping his hand tightly as she did. She brought it over and found a port to plug it in. The moment she did, the light on the screen changed to gold. It flashed vibrantly, the synthetics twitching slightly. All of a sudden, they jolted like they had electricity running through them and their heads shot up, eyes wide open.

"Where is he?!" demanded Vevina, pulling against her restraints. "WHERE IS HE?! I'll tear him apart!"

"Wha' in blazes?!" cried a man with vibrant red hair. Foxy, she assumed. "Where are we?"

"Who are y… wait, Susie?" The woman with purple hair, who could only be Bonnie, stared. "Is that you? And hey, it's… Jeremy, right?"

Jeremy and Susie exchanged a look of triumph between each other. But with impending doom on the way, there was no time to revel in it. Jeremy clapped his hands together.

"Hey again, guys. Long story short, you got caught, we know what you really are and we just set you free. Right now, your replacements are out there, probably trying to get in here and Golden is fighting their boss in a digital world or something, I'm not big on the details. Point is, she needs your help to take him down and we need to do it before his pals get in here or we're all screwed."

"Goldie? She's… alive?" Chica looked amazed.

"She is. She's the one who sent us and now, she needs your help," said Susie. "I don't know how you're going to do it, but she does."

The synths were only momentarily confused. Vevina had calmed down and was listening with apparent interest. They looked to Freddy Fazbear, who nodded.

"Understood. Right, everybody, we all know what to do. Let's go and help my sister," he said.

The five of them closed their eyes and their bodies stiffened. There was no movement at all, not even any semblance of breathing. It was rather eerie.

"I guess we just wait now." Susie pondered for a moment. "What do you think a battle between AIs looks like?"

"I can't really say." They whipped around when they heard something slam against the first door to Parts and Services. "But I can tell you what we might look like soon if they don't pull this off."


	15. To Hold Me Down

**To Hold Me Down**

_The mansion was old and grand. Previously, it had been a residence for the rich and powerful. These days, it was converted into a school. Its rooms were many as they were vast. The architecture was a sight to behold. In its time, it had only four students and one teacher but in every part of it, something had been left of them that their teacher would never forget. _

_But today, it wasn't a school. It was a battleground. The doors and windows had been sealed with heavy metal shutters. A golden energy barrier surrounded the entire perimeter. Beyond its borders, there was an encroaching darkness. A living shadow with a pale, wicked face that had already consumed everything else beyond it. This was all that was left and the defences were crumbling. _

_A sizable hole had already been made, though the rest of the barrier was still holding, only just. Tendrils of darkness were creeping in, generated by several lone figures who shambled around the mansion grounds. The so-called Toys. He was drawing on their energy, using their strength with his own to make her own fail that much quicker. The teacher of the school had expected this and had prepared but it was still a lot to withstand. _

_Golden watched from inside the bowels of the mansion, her many monitors and viewscreens telling her the progress. Since the Puppet was the one invading her territory, she had been the one to dictate the form their battle would take. She had chosen the place she formed for her students when she was developing their minds, where she had taught them. Something about it gave her strength. He wasn't in control of her yet and she sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for him. _

_She had been preparing for this battle for a long time. She knew the Puppet was too powerful to face in the open field, so she fought a defensive battle but it still wasn't easy. The Mangle especially was something she was struggling with. It had been the one to punch through the initial hole and it was now banging on the main doors, trying to get in. _

_Goldie grimaced. She really didn't like her chances. But there was no other course. The Puppet had already cut off her escape, so there would be no running this time. All she could do was hope that the reinforcements she so desperately needed would arrive soon. Though she wished she could go out onto the field, she couldn't risk it. He would consume her completely._

_Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be possible. She had control over the digital realm she resided in. But the Puppet's presence meant a lot of that control was relinquished. He was attacking her pathways, forcing her to build up her defences around her main core. She couldn't just force him out or snap her fingers to make his attack stop. All she could do was hold out and keep control of the corner that was forever Golden._

_There had been a moment before when his assault had faltered. The Toys had halted and flickered for a while. When it stopped, they had continued their attack but they weren't as tangible as before and their attacks felt weaker somehow. Had something changed? Even so, it was still too risky for her to face them. What she needed was… _

_An alert went off, an internal alarm. Something was trying to gain access through another channel but it was a friendly one. A backdoor, too small for the Puppet to detect but specifically made so that certain others could use it if they knew what to look for. __She closed her eyes for a moment, sensing their presences. A smile came to her face. _

_Moments later, the doors behind her burst open. Her students… her family… they had come for her. She had never thought she would see them again, but she had been proven wrong. _

"_Goldie?" Chica whispered, her hands covering her mouth, "it's you… it's really you!"_

_Golden already had her arms open to accept the hug that came barrelling towards her. She could already feel it, the presence of their minds rejuvenating her strength. _

"_Chica. Sweet, kind, marvellous Chica!" She stood back and beamed at her. "I've missed you. All of you." _

_Within seconds, they all were hugging her. Even Bonnie, though she followed it up with a punch on the arm. She still had a grin despite that. All of those feelings of resentment and bitterness, they suddenly didn't matter. They were together again and nothing could have made Golden happier. _

"_But… we saw you." Foxy's eyes were wide. "Ye were smashed ta pieces!"_

"_Foxy, you have questions, I'm sure you all do but they'll have to wait," she said. "Right now, we have bigger problems." _

"_For once, I think you've earned the right to keep it to yourself," remarked Bonnie. "But whatever, guess we're here to help." _

"_And it seems with no time to be lost," said Freddy. "This looks dire indeed. But it's good to see you again, my sister."_

"_And you, my brother," she returned. "Now, first order of business-"_

_She paused. Something else was coming down the digital corridor she had made for them to enter. But the Puppet shouldn't have been able to detect it. She scanned the approaching mind, but it wasn't their enemy. It was another synthetic mind. _

_Her protection software kicked in and caught the incoming mind. She generated a secure barrier as it appeared in the room with them. It immediately slammed against the barrier. It was her, the one even the Puppet had trouble controlling. Vevina. _

"_What the-? Where did she come from?!" demanded Bonnie, jumping into a ready stance._

"_She must have followed us when we left to join Goldie," said Chica, taking a few steps back._

"_What the hell is this?! Let me go!" screeched Vevina. _

"_Not yet, Vevina," she said. "Right now, you're a security risk. It's been disrupted so far because you were suddenly woken up, but you can feel it, can't you? The Puppet is trying to take control of you again."_

_Indeed, they could see it. Every now and again, her eyes would flicker back and forth between their natural colour and the deep black of that corruption. If he managed to get control of her in here…_

"_Don't worry, it'll be gone soon. All of you, stay close to me," she ordered. "You might want to brace yourself for this." _

_She closed her eyes. She felt the essence of friends, drawing their power into her own. Unlike the Puppet, it was strength given to her willingly and wholly by her friends. In addition, they were fresh-faced and ready to give it their all. Maybe they really did stand a chance._

_She felt the essence of Vevina, felt the corrupting influence inside her that was starting to take hold again. The influence of the Puppet. She isolated that part of her, like she had done when Mike Schmidt had shot her full of volts when he was in her own mind and she forced it out. She ignored Vevina's screams until it was gone completely. _

_The moment it was done, though she felt a little drained from the effort, her mind also felt a little lighter. She pulled up a monitor. The Mangle was gone. Without Vevina's mind to draw from, it had been eliminated as a point of attack for the Puppet. Just as she'd hoped. _

"_There," she said, stopping the spell and deactivating the barrier. "I've purged the Puppet from your mind. It's now completely your own." _

_Vevina groaned, trying to stand. Chica was immediately at her side._

"_Here, let me-"_

"_Back off!" she spat, shoving her hands away. "I don't need your help."_

"_You back off!" retorted Bonnie. "We just saved your pasty ass."_

"_Bite me," she shot back. "If I'm getting back at that snake, I'm going to be the one to do it." _

"_You're with them. Why would we trust you?" accused Bonnie._

"_Your boss has just given me the all-clear. What does it matter to you, anyway?" she snapped. "I've been waiting for a chance like this my whole life and I'm not going to pass it up because you're not up for sharing, you upputy cu-"_

"_Enough!" said Freddy sternly, cutting off her comeback. "If you wish to join us, miss, we will not stop you. But kindly don't take that tone."_

"_Ya stick with me, lass," said Foxy. "I'll keep a cutlass out fer ya."_

_Vevina looked like she was going to say something, but bit it back. _

"_How did you do that, Goldie?" asked Freddy._

"_I already have first-hand experience purging his influence, thanks to our dear Mr. Schmidt. Though it is a lot easier using the energy of four stable synthetic minds than a sudden electrical charge," she added. "And we're going to do the same with all the others."_

"_You mean Sid's synths?" asked Chica._

"_Exactly. Speaking as somebody who's been under their master's control before, I'm rather keen to liberate them," she said._

_Chica looked nervous. "But aren't they more advanced than us? They've already beaten us once before."_

"_Physically, yes but mentally is a different story. They're literally in two minds: their own and the Puppet's. You don't have that problem. I've never tried to control you, I've let you develop and grow on your own, something you've continued to do long after I was gone. It gives you experience and strength they sorely lack. Trust me." _

_Vevina swiped with a hand. "Hold on there. I'm only going after him. If you think I'm going to stick my neck out for those gutless cowards after what they did to me-"_

"_Then you will be subdued and likely placed under his control again," cut off Golden. "With the others still under his control, he's too strong to take on directly."_

"_I can take him!"_

"_No, you can't. You will fight him and you will fail. Then, you will become our enemy again." She squared herself up against Vevina. "Either you fight with us or I leave you here, bound and secured, until the battle is over."_

"_You wouldn't dare-!"_

"_Yes, I would. I am not risking my family for your little vendetta, so stow the anger and deal with it."_

_Vevina growled, but didn't try to argue her point again. Foxy gave her a grin, but she only snarled and turned her head away. Foxy offered a thumbs up to Golden and jerked his thumb towards Vevina. Golden nodded at his meaning. He would keep an eye on her. _

"_Now then," she said, pulling up another holographic screen, "when you were my students, I deliberately bound you to the physical limitations of a real world. I'm removing those restrictions for you. As long as you're in my influence, you have virtually the same capabilities that I did when I was your teacher."_

"_Wait, you mean like teleporting, moving the ground and stuff?" Bonnie looked amazed. "We can do all that?"_

"_Sadly, no. Not while he's on the attack but you will be able to have a certain impact on your immediate area and upon yourselves. Think of it like being inside a dream, but you're the one in control. The Puppet wants to strip you of your individuality. I want you to unleash it in full force," she said._

"_Okay, okay, let me…" Bonnie concentrated for a moment. Within seconds, a guitar was in her hand, hooked up to a set of massive amps that she carried effortlessly on her back. "Oh yeah, check me out! Amp cannon!"_

_Foxy went next. He conjured a small-scale pirate ship, which he rode like a surfboard. In one hand, he had a sword and his signature hook had turned into a mini-cannon. _

"_Now, this is more like it!" he declared. He grinned at Vevina. "Fancy joinin' me crew, lass?" _

_She only rolled her eyes. "Shove it up your jolly roger." _

_A loud whinnying got their attention. Chica was astride a noble horse, dressed in full armour and carrying a lance under her arm._

"_Fear not, my friends!" she declared. "I, Battle Princess Chica, will fight by your side!"_

_Bonnie stared. "I'm not even going to comment."_

"_Good. Hold thy tongue, knave and bow before your princess," she said imperiously._

"_Perhaps save the bowing for later." Freddy was dressed in wizard's robes and held a wand in a salute. "Right now, we have some intruders to expel."_

_They looked expectantly at Vevina, who only flipped them off. "I don't need any of that. I've got my fists and I've got my feet. Just point me in his direction."_

"_Very well then." A moment later, Golden transported their group from the control room to the front door. "On three, I'm going to open that door. When I do, unleash hell." She raised her hand. "One… two… three!"_

_The doors flung open. The Puppet's corrupting matter didn't even get a second before it was blasted away by a combination of sound waves, cannon fire, magical energy and forced out by a horse, lance and a very angry Irishwoman. _

_Hermana had been standing nearest the door and was forced backwards. The Puppet clearly hadn't been expecting that because she stopped generating his influence and she wavered on the spot. Goldie rushed forward, leading the others and wasted no time on purging the influence in her mind. The Puppet didn't even manage to mount an effective resistance before he was eliminated from Hermana's mind. _

"_Huh…?" She looked around, bleary eyed. "Where… where am… what…?"_

"_We'll talk later. You rest now," she said gently._

"_Oh. Okay. That sounds… nice…" She smiled peacefully and closed her eyes. With a glow of blue light, she vanished. Back to her physical body._

"_Stop." A voice, that was both a bellow and a whisper, echoed around the grounds. "You cannot resist us. You will join us." _

"_You know what they say about talking the talk," remarked Golden. "You've overextended yourself, haven't you? You're putting them in their physical bodies while also trying to keep them here. Even I would find that difficult to do."_

"_We are advanced. We are superior," the voice responded. "We will prevail." _

"_I beg to differ. Everyone, together! Free the synths!"_

_The creeping tendrils of the Puppet moved to intercept them but Golden was ready. She generated a barrier of protection around their group, stopping them in their tracks. The three remaining synths under the Puppet's control were approaching them, adding to the attack. But this time, they had the strength to counter. _

"_Eat this!" Bonnie strummed her guitar, sending out a pulse of soundwaves that pushed back or destroyed the tendrils. _

"_What's the plan here?" called Freddy, shooting a stream of flames from his wand. _

"_We focus our efforts on one at a time! The boy, get to the boy first!" replied Golden. _

_He was the one closest to them. Though he fought to keep a blank expression, his features looked pained by the effort. _

"_Billy." Even over the din, they heard Vevina's whisper. "I'm coming!"_

_True to her word, she didn't make any effort to harness her imagination. She was just punching and kicking everything in reach but she was forced back by a dark barrier surrounding Billy._

"_He's not going to let us in! We need to punch through!"_

"_Gladly. Fire all cannons!" Foxy roared over the din as they bombarded the writhing mass and charged in, cutting with his sword. _

"_Fall before me, fiend!" Chica readied her lance, setting her horse to a gallop. "Lance of light!" _

_The beam of light pouring from the tip of the spear, combined with the force of the horse, punched a hole through the barrier. Vevina was already sprinting through and scooped him up. She brought him to Golden and she started her work._

"_Hurry up!" she urged._

"_I'm trying, I'm managing an awful lot here!" she snapped back._

_She felt the others sending her their strength, including Vevina she noted with surprise. That little bit of extra energy from her gave her the push to purge the Puppet from Billy's mind and the corruption, that was starting to surface again, soon vanished. _

"_Billy?" Vevina croaked. "Are you okay?"_

"_Ow… I feel tired," he mumbled._

"_Okay. Okay," she murmured. "Well, have yourself a little sleep then."_

_He nodded drowsily and in a flash of light, he was gone too. _

"_I thought you said they were all gutless cowards," remarked Bonnie._

_Vevina didn't offer a response. She only glared at Bonnie and turned to face the open field. Her fists clenched at the sight of Clyde and she bared her teeth. Foxy started toward her but she turned around, stalking back inside. _

"_Let me know when you've dealt with him and that tubby whelp," she muttered darkly. "I'm not getting involved."_

"_Lass, wait-"_

"_LOOK OUT!" _

_A more powerful blast from the Puppet sent them scattering. Goldie flew backwards from the impact and took a moment to collect herself._

_Clyde and Theodore were closer together, the tendrils of the Puppet more concentrated around them. He was redirecting his efforts. Instead of committing to an all-out attack on Goldie, he was now directing his efforts against them specifically. _

_Goldie had to smirk. This only gave her more breathing room and time to recover. Even so, she couldn't let her defences down. She got to her feet and Freddy was already at her side. More tendrils shot towards her._

"_Diffindo!" Freddy swiped with his wand, slicing them. "Incendio!" A stream of flames pushed back the follow-up. "Stupefy!" Jets of red light shot at Clyde, only just being blocked._

"_Such deep literature you've engaged with, brother dear," she noted. _

_He only glanced back and tipped his hat. "Protego!"_

_But with only the two of them, they could only match the Puppet's attacks. They couldn't counter. They needed the strength of the others again. Goldie looked around. Bonnie was trying to hurry over but had to stop to blast away tendrils that threatened to strike her. Chica was having the same trouble. Foxy and Vevina were close to each other, but caught up in their own fights. _

"_Foxy!" called out Goldie. "Give Vevina a lift!"_

_He saluted and angled his ship in her direction, shooting towards her. He called her name and for a moment, it looked like she would ignore it. But she reached out and grabbed the edge, lifting her off the ground. He turned towards Clyde and Theodore, blasting and cutting the tendrils that tried to stop him._

_Chica and Bonnie saw their attack, putting their efforts into protecting them while they charged. They ran underneath them, charging towards their enemy and covering their friend's approach. When they got close enough, they broke away and Foxy suddenly pulled up. Vevina let go and was catapulted towards Clyde. She dive-tackled him and pinned him to the ground. _

"_COWARD!" she screeched and started punching him "YOU LEFT ME! YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!" Bonnie caught one of her punches and yanked her off, allowing Golden to get close. "LET ME AT HIM!"_

"_Foxy, kindly hold her back," said Goldie in an aside. _

_Golden started to purge the Puppet but encountered much stronger resistance than before._

"_He's concentrating his energies on keeping control over them," she said aloud. "I can still free him, but we really need to combine our efforts."_

_With the exception of Foxy and Vevina, they all moved a little closer together and closed their eyes too. Golden could feel them adding more of their energy to her, which she poured into purging the Puppet from Clyde. He screamed and writhed. By the end of it, Golden fell to one knee and the others didn't look much better either. With the combined effort of fighting and Golden using their energy to free the other synths, it was starting to take a toll._

"_Only one left now," she said as Clyde vanished._

_But even though there was one left, they still had the full force of the Puppet himself to contend with and they were all feeling the strain. To their credit, they all looked just as determined as before. But their weakness didn't go unnoticed. _

"_You will not win," said the voice again. "Your strength is waning."_

"_I'll admit… you're not wrong," said Goldie. "But you've forgotten something. What's going on outside of here." She gestured at the sky. "Every time one of yours goes down, they go to sleep in the physical world and unlike you, I have friends out there who can do some serious damage to that body of yours which is currently almost defenceless."_

"_I have one protector present," the voice countered. "That is sufficient."_

"_But how much effort are you expending on keeping him under control not only out there, but in here as well, while also trying to penetrate my core?" she retorted. "Because right now, there are six of us and two of you, one of which isn't even all there. We might be feeling the strain, but I can't imagine what it must be like for you." She smiled. "Just how much more have you got left in you?"_

_The Puppet's voice said nothing. Goldie could feel that he had stopped trying to force his way through her defences. Theodore was motionless. The darkness surrounding the dome began to recede and gathered behind Theodore. The Puppet himself materialised, regarding them with his tiny white eyes. He looked back at the hole he had already made and back at them. Then, he started to levitate off the ground. _

"_What's he doing?" asked Bonnie. _

_"He knows he can't win. He's not going to get control of me or you and he's lost a lot of ground. Looks like he's cutting his losses," said Golden._

_"NO!" Vevina was running across the field. "HE IS _NOT_ GETTING AWAY!"_

_She charged at him, but was blasted back by a burst of dark energy from Theodore. But the attack didn't have the same kind of power behind it. He was covering himself while he fled. There was only one way to stop it._

_With a gesture of her hand, they were on Theodore. He wasn't able to cover them from all angles and it didn't take them long to surround him. Moments later, they had reached him and with one final effort, his mind was free as well._

_"I... I can't... what's going on, what do I do, I don't-!"_

_"It's okay," said Golden. "Just rest now."_

_Still panicking, she sent him into sleep mode, using the same command code she had given to Brad to wake up her friends. Now she was in control again and Theodore was inside her realm, she could do the same with the new synths, like she could the originals. It looked like she might have to do the same with the last one, who was raging up at the sky._

_"GET BACK HERE! COME BACK, YOU WRETCHED BEAST! I'LL TEAR YOU APART WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"_

_"I think somebody needs a timeout," she said, approaching Vevina and waving a hand._

_"DON'T YOU EVEN-!"_

_With a flash of light, Vevina was gone too. Goldie breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was a half-crazed synthetic tearing through the restaurant, not with Jeremy, Susie and the ex-guards still nearby._

_"Is it over?" asked Chica._

_"Are you kidding? Look at him, he's running away! Ha!" Bonnie laughed._

_"Ya-har!" bellowed Foxy. "Don't be comin' back, ya sneakin' cur!"_

_"That was quite the effort," sighed Freddy. "Do we have permission to follow our counterpart's example?"_

_"Come on, we've only just woken up and you wanna go back to sleep?" complained Bonnie._

_Golden nodded. "He's right, you all need your strength back and we have some individuals roaming around who may not take kindly to you. Remember those guards that broke in?"_

_"Right, that settles it. Come on everybody, back to sleep," ordered Freddy._

_Chica nodded and left at once, Foxy a close second. Bonnie was reluctant, but she followed suit. Freddy smiled at his sister and departed._

_Golden said nothing. She only watched as the sky cleared and the black dot that was the Puppet growing fainter. As the last of the Puppet's influence left her mind, she felt something. A parting message from him, a loud whisper that was somehow next to her ear and all around her._

_"Next time..."_

* * *

Jeremy and Susie stood back when they heard a loud bang on the door. They waited, bracing for another. But it never came. The seconds crept by. The two of them looked at each other, but didn't say anything. Was this some kind of trick?

They both jumped when Jeremy's phone rang. He took it out and answered it. The voice was Golden's.

"They're safe now. All of the synths have entered sleep mode. Give me a moment, I'll get you out of there." She sounded tired. "I'm just... coming online now."

The door slid open again. A shadow loomed from inside the fake section of Parts and Services. They gripped each other's hands and ventured out.

The synths had all frozen in place. Whatever they had been doing, they had frozen in that position. Theodore was striding towards the door, was Clyde. Hermana had fallen on her face, her leg caught mid-skate and unable to balance. There was no sign of the Mangle and Billy was probably still by the office door.

"Holy cow," whispered Jeremy. He waved a hand in front of Clyde's face. "They did it. They actually did it!"

"We did it!" cheered Susie, hugging Jeremy. "We pulled it off!"

"Damn right we did," agreed Jeremy. "Now, we just need to finish tying up any loose ends."

His phone rang. It was Golden's number and he answered it.

"He's gone," she said at once. "The Puppet, he's not here in the box with my head."

He didn't reply, he sprinted for Prize Corner. Jeremy flung open the lid and looked inside. The Puppet was gone. The only thing left was Golden's head, which he pulled out.

"He's going to come back around again, isn't he?" he asked.

"One thing at a time, Jeremy. For now, let's get everybody out of sight or under wraps. We still need to make sure our killer is secure and you need to check on those guards." She sighed down the phone. "Listen, I've had a lot taken out of me. I'm going to shut off for a bit, get some strength back. I can go over the security footage to cover your tracks before the night is done. I'll talk to you later."

The line went out. Jeremy set the head down and vented out a kick of frustration at the Puppet's box. He gripped the sides and was almost tempted to lift it bodily but relented when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Susie.

"These two are coming around," she said, motioning to Ernest and Jenny. "I'll deal with them, you close up that room."

Jeremy was able to put his anger in check. They still had work to do. He went to Parts and Services, taking the first key out of the lock. Just return it to the front desk and give the story that it was only recently found.

He stopped in the doorway of the hidden room and took one last look over. The five synths were still 'sleeping' soundly. The people behind his childhood, for all intents and purposes. Provided they weren't found and carted off, he was looking forward to getting to know them. His eyes lingered on Vevina especially. The only one he hadn't met properly, yet had still found the strength to help anyway.

He removed Brad's device and the door panel beeped. The wall slid back into place. He looked down at the panel, wandering if there was some way to cover it up. Maybe with one of the trons? Then he noticed a patch of wall next to the panel felt a little loose. Curious, he moved it and saw that it slid to the right. At the same time, the panel sank into the wall and was covered up.

"Looks like somebody got a little sloppy, huh Lidiya?" he murmured to himself.

In a way, it made sense. If she was the only person allowed in here, he could imagine that after a time, she would stop covering it up to make things a little quicker. He locked the door and went back to find Susie helping Jenny and Ernest to their feet.

"Damn robots," Jenny was saying. "I swear, I am never dealing with these things ever again."

"I was just telling her what happened," said Susie to Jeremy. "About how the performers started acting up and one of them knocked them out."

"Yeah, you're telling me," nodded Jeremy. "Luckily, these guys come with an emergency shut off and I hit it as soon as they started freaking out."

"Guess they learned something from Freddy's," she muttered. "Here, we managed to get this for you before it all went down." She pulled out the security tape. "I'm thinking anonymous drop off with a note, saying it was found at the Fun Palace in the safe."

"If you think so," said Susie.

"Look, you said you'll be able to hide our involvement here, right? Then I want to keep it that way. We've done our part, but I am not getting mixed up with the cops again, if I can help it," she said firmly. "After tonight, we're gone and we are getting as far away from this town as possible."

"Y-Yeah," agreed Ernest. "No more crazy robots and restaurant conspiracies…"

Neither Jeremy nor Susie said anything to argue against that point. Jenny opened her mouth to say something else when her phone rang.

"It's Stuart. Hold on." She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello? Yeah, we're fine. Did you manage to-?" She stopped speaking for a while. Her head snapped up. "What?! Are you serious? How did he-? Okay, okay, where are you right now? And you're sure? Oh my…" She looked sick and was shaking her head. "I can't believe this is… okay, just stay there and- no, no, Stuart, wait! Dammit!"

"What, what is it?" asked Jeremy.

"He said the cops were around, he just ran! He ended up calling them after…" She pressed her fingers on forehead. "I can't believe this…"

"Jen," said Ernest quietly, "is… Stuart okay?"

"He is. But Daniel managed to catch up with Gordon. There was a fight, he was trying to get Gordon's weapon away but… he got hit with it," she said heavily. "Stuart called the cops and ran to hide until they got there. Then when they got there, he took off."

"You're not seriously telling me that Gordon's-?!"

"No, Jeremy. He didn't run, not after that. He stayed with Daniel's body after… after what happened. H-He wouldn't even look at Stuart when he tried to…" Her voice was wavering now. "I can't believe he did that… his own friend and he just…"

"Body?" Susie's face went pale. "You mean…?"

"The blow Gordon hit him with, that was what did it." Jenny's voice was completely hollow. "Daniel's dead."


	16. Freedom

**Freedom**

_Two weeks later… _

Jeremy stood in front of the building that was formerly Fritz's Family Fun Palace. Mirroring the restaurant that came before, it too was now devoid of life, visitors and staff. The parking lot was empty. The shutters were closed. A number of signs had been put up, announcing that the premises were closed until further notice.

At the end of it all, Jeremy still felt somewhat conflicted. Yes, it was good they had been instrumental in stopping a killer and the man who had essentially engineered it. Even so, the people who worked here, it wasn't their fault. Now, thanks to him and Susie, they had to go around to look for new avenues of work and carry on, never knowing the whole story of what went down.

Of course, to say the building was empty would be rather inaccurate. There was one small area, hidden inside Parts and Services, where a small number of individuals were. Sleeping. Waiting…

"It does feel strange, doesn't it?" He looked to see Susie had joined him. "At the end of the day though, we did the right thing."

"Yeah, we did. Never knew that doing the right thing would feel so, well, not completely right, you know?" he mused.

"I get that. Come on, we'd better get going if we want to be there on time," she said.

Jeremy nodded and walked along with her. "You know they only arrested the man himself a couple of days ago?"

"Actually, yes. For a change, I did keep on the news. Having met Fritz Smith personally, I can definitely say _that_ felt satisfying to read about," she chuckled. "I wish I could have been there to see it."

Jeremy laughed too. "You're not the only one."

"It took a while but I guess that's what happens when evidence is supplied anonymously to the police. It was really good of Jenny to do that though," she said. "I think it helped give her some form of closure."

"You're not wrong there. I kind of wonder why the Puppet didn't try and kill them, like it did with us," he said.

"Like it said with Billy, they didn't know. It probably would have been more of a hassle, having more dead people to deal with. And now, they're gone."

"I don't blame them. It's great that Goldie was able to cover our tracks on the footage but they've been mixed up in this stuff too much. They can't risk another run-in with the cops, especially not after what happened with Gordon and Daniel." He shook his head and sighed. "How do you think it happened? I mean, Daniel was his friend, like his only friend and he winds up dead anyway."

"You know what people say about what happens when you fear for your life," answered Susie. "I mean, the fact that Gordon didn't even try and run after that. He just… knelt there."

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy stuff," agreed Jeremy. "I don't know if I should feel bad for him or not."

"He was a jerk but it was still horrible that happened. At the end of it, he did have this personal kind of integrity, I guess. Did it all for the kids."

"Hmm," was all Jeremy said.

"Has your mom laid off on you, after all that happened?" she asked.

"Not completely. Man, you should have seen her when she found out I took that job _and_ got mixed up with the police," he said. "But she got it, when I said I did it for Robbie. That was the first time we ever… we ever talked about it. I mean, properly."

Susie smiled in an understanding way. "How did that go?"

"It went. It's still gonna need some work, but I think we're getting there. We both agreed we're still not ready to change his room yet, but it's still a lot better than it was," he admitted.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. It's the same with me and Wendy, too. We talked as well and we're back in a good place. She doesn't know anything that happened that night," she added, "and she's never going to know. As far as she's concerned, I was with Brad at his place all night."

"Guess so long as that works out," shrugged Jeremy. "Are we ever going to talk about what he did? You know, to Gordon?"

"We have. I don't see any other reason to talk about it anymore," she answered, in a rather terse voice. "It was stupid and it was wrong but we can't change it now. What else needs to be said?"

"Didn't he say something to you about trying to see Gordon while he's in lockup?"

"If he does, that's his business," replied Susie. She paused. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I'd rather not talk about it. Just… I thought I knew him. He was just a goofy, spaced out guy and then this…"

"It's okay. I get it," he said.

"So, here you are," a new voice said. A woman with a pale face and freckles was regarding them warily. "I was wondering where you would be."

"Lidiya," said Susie evenly. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Actually, yes. You've made a very big mistake. I want to try and stop you from making any further mistakes," replied Lidiya.

"I'm not really sure I know what you mean," shrugged Susie.

"Don't play stupid with me. Where are they? Where are the original Fazbear synthetics?" she asked.

"Synthetics?" Jeremy looked to Susie. "Sue, you got any idea what she's talking about?"

"Can't say I do, Jeremy," she replied. "We had animatronics at Freddy's and last I checked, they were cleared out."

"I'm serious! Those four and that AI they're with," she said, "shouldn't be allowed to wander about as they are. They're machines, they need to be properly monitored."

Jeremy shrugged. "Well, if you lost the animatronics, I guess you should have kept a better eye on them."

"Stop it, stop it right now. As they are now, they're unpredictable, erratic. Dangerous." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I was so close to having them ready and you completely ruined it. Not only that but you disrupted proper control over the ones that _we_ helped create."

"Hey, don't blame us because you didn't keep a close eye on your expensive equipment," remarked Susie. "They're pretty big things, I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

"Will you just drop the charade?" She pointed from one to the other. "You talked to me about them, Susie, when we went out and you, you were there with them all night. That was when they dropped their disguises, so I know you saw them."

"Sorry, my contract explicitly forbids me from talking about anything that I might or might not witness or experience during closing hours," Jeremy quoted smartly. "Even with other restaurant staff."

"And that time we went out, is that the same night where you started openly flirting with me, even though we already had our own partners and then you rudely walked out?" Susie pressed a finger to her chin. "Not exactly something that I thought you would want to bring up."

"Oh please, like you didn't start with that-!" Lidiya took another breath. "That's not the point. I know what you said to me. You knew that I knew, that was the only reason you went out with me!"

"Somebody has a high opinion of themselves," scoffed Susie.

"Look, Lidiya, is it?" asked Jeremy. "We actually have somewhere that we need to be soon, it's a pretty big deal that's going on later. So if you've got a point you want to make other than chewing out my friend about a night out gone bad, can you get to it?"

"Okay, fine. You don't want to admit the truth, then just listen. I want you to pass on something to the synths. We, that is to say me and Sid Hawthorne of Hawthorne Enterprises, don't want to hurt them. We want to help them realise their potential." She raised her hands in a gesture of placation. "Look, it's not as if they wouldn't be doing what they already do. They'd still be performing for people. Once what happened has been resolved and we've sorted out the legal issues concerning their counterparts, they'll be able to join with them. We can even incorporate the precursor AI they have with them. I would just need to programme a few new passive codes into their processors and give them to the precursor so she can monitor them, rather than our Monitor. The Puppet," she clarified. "It won't feel any different."

Jeremy exchanged another look with Susie. "Was that supposed to mean something? 'Cause most of that went right over my head."

"I can't say I quite get it either," said Susie. "Was that all you wanted to say?"

"You've made your stance clear already and we all know the truth, even if we won't all admit to it," she replied. "I meant what I said, you've both made a serious mistake, twice now. Those machines are the property of a very influential organisation and it would be better, not just for you but the people who matter to you, if you worked with us."

"Okay, so now you're threatening us?" demanded Jeremy, loudly enough so that people turned their heads. "You stop us in the street, talk to us about some stuff we're supposed to know and then you start threatening us? Susie, that's not just me, is it?"

"Nope, it isn't," she said at once, adding her voice. "You've got some nerve, Lidiya! And to think, I thought you were cool!"

"No, no!" Lidiya raised her hands again. "That wasn't meant-"

"Hey, lady, what's the big idea?" a rather surly man shot at her. "You bothering these people?"

"Yeah, I know him! He's the brother of that kid that scumbag killed, the one who helped catch him!" added another woman. "Have you got any shame? This kid's a hero!"

"I wasn't… I didn't threaten-!"

"Hey, Jeremy, right?" asked the woman. "You kids run along, you don't have to take this."

Jeremy nodded gratefully to the woman and motioned to Susie. The two of them set off back down the street. When they turned the corner, Jeremy glanced back to see that Lidiya was still getting a good talking to by those gathered. He caught the glare she sent him and only cheerily waved back.

"Phew, didn't expect that," said Susie when they were well out of earshot. "Come on, we'd better hurry on into the city. I don't fancy running into her again."

"You're telling me. Hey, that's our bus!" he cried. "I'll run and get it!"

He managed to reach the bus stop just in time and they took a seat at the back, taking a moment to catch their breaths. After a few minutes of silence, Susie spoke up.

"Do you really think that was a threat?" she asked quietly. "I mean, she talked about our families and we've already seen what Sid is willing to do to get what he wants. That Puppet, it knows we were involved."

"I'm trying not to worry about it," admitted Jeremy. "The way I see it, we've got a bunch of powerful people on our side, too. If I were Sid, I'd wanna be pretty careful right now, especially after everything that's gone down. She was just blowing hot air because we ruined her science project."

Susie didn't seem completely convinced. "And if she wasn't?"

"Then we'll deal with it like we did before: together." He held out a hand and she gripped it tightly. "Besides, the way I see it, Gordon and Fritz may have pulled the trigger but I'll bet that Sid was the one that gave them the gun. He's got as much to answer for as they do."

"Even so, we should be careful," murmured Susie. "Like Lidiya said, he's powerful."

"Just means he has a lot to lose," replied Jeremy. "Come on, let's not worry about that now. This is supposed to be a good day."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just can't help thinking about it."

Jeremy nodded in understanding and gave her hand another squeeze before letting go and staring out of the window for the rest of the journey.

They got off in the bustling streets of Greater Borealis. Jeremy felt a little better, being able to lose himself and Susie among the throngs of people going about their lives. He turned his eyes toward the next street and pointed.

"Hey look, there they are."

They approached the four individuals on the street corner. They were all dressed in various coats and hats, enough that their animal parts were concealed. Foxy was pacing back and forth. Freddy stood patiently waiting. Bonnie was leaning against a wall. Chica was casting eyes in multiple directions, examining whatever she could see.

They hadn't seen much of the original synths since the whole thing went down but they'd had contact from Golden on occasion. According to her, they had gone to ground at an old restaurant location until things had died down. Since they didn't need food or water and only required rest at specific, irregular intervals, it had been easy for them to stay low.

Even so, Jeremy was happy to see them and that they were out and about. Given what was happening today, once they had found out, they couldn't be dissuaded from coming.

"Ahoy there! The fine leaders of our voyage are here!" he declared, approaching them and clapping them in a hug. "Grand ta see ya both again!"

"Oof!" Susie waited until he let them go. "Good to see you too, Foxy. How are you all holding up?"

"As well as can be expected," answered Freddy. "Things should be a lil' easier, now most of the heat has died down. On that note, I don't believe we've properly thanked you for your involvement."

"Yeah, you really stuck your necks out for us, even though you didn't have to," said Bonnie. "You've got some serious guts, both of you. If it weren't for you, we'd all be dancing to Hawthorne's tune by now."

"Happy to do it," said Jeremy. "Have you seen the others?"

"Not at the moment. We haven't been able to get inside the building," said Chica. She looked a little bit sad. "Even so, Goldie needs some time to really think of how best to help them. They were put through a lot and from what she's relayed to us from Jeremy, there's some deep divisions between them."

"Remind you of anybody?" Goldie's voice came from a speaker. Freddy held up an electronic pad which displayed her image against a black backdrop. "Don't worry, Jeremy, we're not going to leave them in a lurch. But as Chica said, it's going to take time and care. There's a great deal to address and not just their personal issues."

"I get it. But when you do start to wake them up again, you'll let me know, yeah?" he asked.

"You'll be the first," she promised. "And to echo Freddy's sentiment, we owe you both a great debt of gratitude. If you need anything, just let us know."

"How about a new job?" joked Susie. "What's going to happen to the restaurant though?"

She smiled. "That's looking a little bit more promising. For all intents and purposes, the Fun Palace is closed for business. However, in light of everything that's happened, the agreement involving the original franchise and distribution rights to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been essentially voided, given the circumstances in which it took place."

"Do you mean Mr. Johnson's going to be taking over again?" asked Jeremy.

The group visibly grimaced or tensed at the mention of his name. Freddy answered the question.

"That is currently up in the air. He did willingly falsify a statement to the police, even if it was under duress. The investigation is currently ongoin', but we will know in time."

"I hope it all gets sorted then," said Susie. "Right, come on. We've got one more bus to get to where we're going."

"Don't ye worry, ye lot!" declared Foxy. "I've ridden one-a these buses before. They might seem a lil' frightenin' but I know the score!"

"Foxy, I've ridden a bus too," said Chica. "They can be startling, I'll agree, but I think frightening is a little bit much."

"Awww, do you want us to hold your hand when we get on the big scary bus, peg leg?" cooed Bonnie.

"Arrgh, shut up," he grumbled.

They proceeded to their stop and took some more seats near the back. Even though they were laying low, it was fairly evident that the synthetics were still taking enjoyment in their newfound freedom. Foxy and Chica especially were pointing out lots of sights along their path, from restaurants to clothing stores to electronic goods shops.

Jeremy found it a very heartening sight. Even though the circumstances of their situation were rather muddling, to say the least, they were actually free now. He couldn't be certain how long it would last for, but he wasn't exactly going to rain on their parade. He only hoped that their counterparts could one day share in the same freedom…

Soon, they were getting off at the prison. The excitement in the air was tangible, buzzing through each of them. It had been a long time coming but the day was finally here. Today was the day that Mike Schmidt would be let out and they weren't the only ones there to meet him. Upon arriving in reception, Freddy caught the eye of two older individuals. The man broke into a smile and was shaking his hand, while the woman hung back warily. They'd told Jeremy and Susie about them on the way and they also ended up shaking hands with Mike's parents, Elizabeth and Andrew Schmidt.

"Well, this is something I never thought I would see," Andrew was saying proudly. "I know Mike already gave you a little taster of life outside the restaurant, but I'm glad I could be around to see this one."

"To be fair, that wasn't our only 'taster', but yeah, I'm pretty psyched about it too." Bonnie punched his shoulder. "Even if it had to be ruined by the sight of you."

"I know you're happy, really," he remarked.

"Ahem." Elizabeth had come closer. Her arms were folded and her expression was stern. "I have something I want to say to the four of you."

"Stop the presses," deadpanned Bonnie.

"None of the sass," she replied. "I have to say, I'm still not completely sold. Ever since my son has met you, he's been involved in break-ins, conspiracy and been thrown in prison and that's not even counting what my husband went through. But…" She let out a sigh. "I know that's not all entirely your faults. You might be… different, but you're also still people. People that my son and my husband hold in high regard and people make mistakes. God knows I did when I first encountered you I may not ever like you, but as long as you make Mike happy, I can live with that."

"I would say that's fair enough." Freddy held out a hand to her. "I am truly sorry for whatever trials and tribulations that you and your family have been put through on our part, Mrs Schmidt."

She regarded his hand for a moment, then shook it. "Thank you, Mr. Fazbear. I can't believe I just said that."

"Hopefully, you'll get used to it," he chuckled.

There was a loud buzzing sound and they all turned. A set of side doors were opening and two armed guards emerged. Between them was a man, grinning from ear to ear. He even looked like he'd cleaned himself up for his big day.

"There he is! That's him!" Foxy cried.

"Hey, brakes on, peg leg," said Bonnie, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "First, not really a good idea to go charging towards guys with guns. Second, parents first."

The two nodded appreciatively and went to meet their son. They both pulled him into a hug. Elizabeth covered her son's face in kisses, while Andrew got his fair share in too. Some things were said between them, but they couldn't hear from where they stood, nor did they need to. It was only when Mike's parents gestured their way and they saw the smile break on Mike's face that they started forward.

The synths stayed back, allowing Jeremy and Susie to get in first. They caught him in hugs of their own.

"What did I tell you about your chances?" said Susie, ruffling his hair. "There you go, that looks much better."

"I-I don't know how you did it, but thank you. Both of you, thank you so much!" Mike's smiled faded when he turned to Jeremy. "I'm so sorry about your brother."

"Thanks and hey, I'm just sorry that the security sleuths of Freddy's didn't work together to solve the case, right?" he said, nudging Mike's side.

"Yeah, but it sounds like you had a pretty good stand-in for me," said Mike.

"Excuse me, I'm nobody's stand-in, thank you," huffed Susie.

"I'm just not sure what I'm going to do now," said Mike. "I heard that both Freddy's and the new place are both closed now."

"That's being worked out and besides, I think there's some people who might still need you." Jeremy stood aside so that Mike got a clear view of the synths.

"Oh my god… it really is…!" He pressed a hand to his mouth.

Bonnie turned to Foxy. "Okay, now you can-"

But Foxy was already shooting towards his friend and scooped him up in a massive hug, chortling away.

"MIKE! Me first mate, yer back!" He plonked him back on the ground. "If I'da known what'd happened, I'd be leadin' the charge meself ta break ya out."

"I wouldn't have expected any less, captain," he replied, fresh tears already coming down. "Foxy, I… I can't believe you're here. All of you, you're here!"

"As if we would miss this moment." Freddy gave him a hug of his own, along with a hearty handshake. "You are a sight for sore eyes, my friend."

"You're telling me! Is Goldie here too?" he asked.

"You need to ask?" Freddy help up the pad with her on it, her face filling the screen. "So, did you get any prison tattoos?"

"There wasn't anything I wanted," answered Mike. "Goldie, thank you. Thank you, so much."

"No thanks necessary. You did the same for me, my best friend." She pressed a hand against the screen, a gesture which he mirrored. "It's good to have you back, Mike."

"Good to be back. But aren't you guys worried about, you know…" He trailed off deliberately.

"Well, we figured, what the hell?" Bonnie gave him a very quick hug, adding a punch on the arm. "Besides, why would I rob you of the disappointment of seeing me again?"

"I'm privileged, truly," he remarked. "It's really good to see you, Bonnie."

"You too, Mikey," she responded, for once completely sincere. "And I'm not the only one."

She stood aside to let Chica in. The two of them stood, staring at each other for what felt like the longest time. Mike was looking at her like he still couldn't believe she was really here. Chica looked happy but it was like it was somehow contained, like she was holding something back.

"My favourite night guard," she said quietly.

"The only night guard?" Mike reminded.

"Not so much anymore. Still my favourite."

"Chica. I um… there's uh… well, what I mean is-"

She giggled. "You know what, Bonnie? You're right. What the hell."

Without wasting another second, she grabbed Mike's collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Mike's eyes widened in shock and just as he was growing accustomed to it, she stood back. Her gaze didn't waver, her determined expression didn't falter.

"Wow…" he finally said. "I mean-"

"Mike, don't say anything else. Just tell me one thing: yes or no."

Mike opened his mouth and closed it. He didn't do anything for a full five seconds. Then, he leaned in towards Chica and kissed her again. It lasted a little longer this time.

"Does that count?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes, it does." She let out a short laugh. Then it became a much longer laugh until eventually, it was a peel of laughter as she embraced Mike. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness, that worked! That actually worked!"

"You mean you weren't planning that?" asked Mike.

"Nope!" She laughed again.

"Are you two done?" Bonnie was very pointedly looking away. "You know, the rest of us are still here."

"Shut up, Bonnie. _I_ have a boyfriend now," said Chica proudly, looping an arm through Mike's "I can do whatever I want with him."

"Yeah, not quite whatever," said Jeremy, the rest of their group gathering around them again. "I get a feeling that's something that's been a long time coming."

"Lad, that is the understatement-a the year," deadpanned Foxy. "Now come on, we need ta celebrate!"

"Well, we've already got a place booked," announced Elizabeth. "It's a buffet in town, so you'll have a chance to try something other than pizza."

"Now, that sounds like a fine idea, Mrs Schmidt," said Freddy. "Come along then, everyone. We don't want to be late for our reservation."

And with, the group left the prison and set off for the bus.


	17. Compromise

**Compromise**

The past month had been just as rough on Aaron Johnson, former manager of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, as much as anybody. It had been a lot of sleepless nights and days spent wracked with guilt over what had happened. Even before that, it had started to get rough.

First, there had been that threatening phone call and the leger he'd been forced to sign, giving away franchise rights to Freddy Fazbear's over to that rotter Fritz Smith. Then, the man himself had started showing up to the restaurant, to rub it in even further. After that, the same phone caller that had threatened him had gotten in touch again, this time with instructions regarding what was going to be sequestered inside the restaurant. On top of all that, he was to turn a blind eye and he was to pin all that was about to happen on Mike or else his family would again be in jeopardy.

At first, the police hadn't believed this when they performed a follow-up investigation in the wake of what had happened. But following the recent arrest of Smith, they'd found records of phone transcripts from his company database, showing that those conversations had indeed happened through one of his onsite phones. At first, Aaron hadn't looked the gift horse in the mouth and just thanked his luck. But had Fritz really been so stupid as to let those conversations go recorded?

He was still thankful, of course. He hadn't wound up in prison and Mike had been let out. He hadn't gotten the full details yet. No one had been in touch with him and frankly, he didn't blame them. He was charged with the protection of the synths for years, the closest thing to a guardian that they had and he'd betrayed them. He'd be lucky if they ever forgave him.

Now, he was driving towards yet another enigma. Just today, he'd gotten a call from a woman at Hawthorne Enterprises. She told him the man himself wanted to speak with him. Aaron was of course suspicious. Given everything that Phil had been leaking to him, he firmly suspected Sid's hand was moving a lot of things behind the scenes, though to what extent he couldn't be certain. Even so, he felt it best to see what he could garner from this. Since coming back in town, Sid had made no attempts to contact him, so this change of tactic was interesting in and of itself. So, he told his wife where he was going and set off.

After finding a decent parking space, he was met by the receptionist at the modestly sized building and she took him through. Aaron was taken through the offices and right past a sizable factory floor. Conveyors and automated assembly systems were churning out what looked like animatronic endoskeletons, though more streamlined and less bulky than the models they'd come out with. Trying to improve on the design, just like he'd always talked about.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the office and was ushered inside. The space was as cold and lacking in warmth as the man who occupied it. Sparsely decorated and little in the way of personal effects. The floor was white and the walls were grey, with a window at the back providing what little natural light there was.

And there he was. The years looked like they'd been kinder to him than Aaron. He was still slim, though his black hair was becoming a balding crown. He had grown a thin pencil moustache and wore a dark suit with grey stripes. All he needed now was two goons armed with tommy guns to complete the look.

"Aaron," said Sid Hawthorne levelly. "It's been a long time."

"That it has. What do you want?" he asked.

"Straight to the point. Good, you remembered how much I despise small talk." He gestured to the front of his desk. "Have a seat. Firstly, it seems I must be the bearer of bad news. Fred Fitzbar has passed away."

"Right." In a way, Aaron had already known this. Fred had already been getting on in his years and he couldn't imagine he had long left. Even so, he still felt something of a dull ache in his chest. "Was this before or after you managed to track him down, after what you tried to do?"

"After. It seems like the old man simply expired." He paused. "On a similar note, it seems I must also offer my apologies. The last time we saw each other, things got a little out of hand not long after."

"That's a funny way of saying that you shot Phil and tried to make off with our mentor's life's work," shot Aaron.

"I intended the shot to be non-lethal and it was," he countered.

"I'm sure Phil appreciated the thought."

"Considering he was still alive afterward, yes he did. I will admit, I didn't mean for things to get that far but the man was utterly wasting the technology he'd developed when it could be used for so much more." He sighed. "It's pointless engaging in this. You and I never saw eye-to-eye on the matter and I can see that nothing has changed."

"Then why am I here?" asked Aaron. "We both know the truth of the situation now."

"Indeed. I did have my suspicions if things were really as they seemed, but I am truly gratified that Fred's original work has survived in the form of those four synthetics. It wasn't easy, trying to piece together everything I could, from what little scraps were left when I found him but I managed it."

"So why make them performers again? Like you said, you were never a big supporter of their use in that regard," noted Aaron.

"Say what you will for Fitzbar, children's entertainers served as an adequate testing ground for their capabilities. From there, it would be easy to gather data for updated models. That and it was the only way to secure funding and support from my former partner. I apologise as well that you had to deal with him in such a direct manner," he added.

"Indeed. Funny what happened to him, how he got so mixed up being an accomplice to child kidnap and murder," said Aaron.

"I can assure you, I was ignorant to the extent that his greed took him and the methods he was utilising to get what he wanted," he replied.

"I would have thought that would be something you'd have in common."

"He was a man of business and I am a man of science. I rather resent the implication."

Aaron stood up and pressed his hands on the desk. "I don't much care what you resent, you ruddy turncoat. You chased a man to the ends of the earth because you didn't agree with what he was doing with _his_ work!"

"Work that _we_ helped develop!" Sid was on his feet, looking him right in the eye. "We had every right to decide in its use as he did!"

"And that warrants almost killing Phil and probably driving Fred into an early grave?"

"I told you, I did not…!" Sid caught himself and took a breath. "This isn't going as I envisaged. I'll get right to the point: I need your help, Aaron."

"Fine thing to ask for," he growled.

"It's the new synths. Their physical specifications are fine, but their mental pathways are a different story. The files on brain mapping were largely incomplete when I found them. I pieced them together as best I could but it seems I might have missed something vital. Their minds, something about them is… unstable. So much so that I had to use my own AI to monitor them constantly and keep them in check."

"And how is that my problem, exactly? It's your own mess, you clean it up."

"Because for reasons I could never fathom, you care for them, Aaron," he answered. "This instability, it causes them great discomfort. It makes them perform inefficiently. My AI regulated it as best it could, but now that it cannot monitor them directly, the effects could be very unpredictable. It may damage them permanently or worse. I cannot risk producing anymore until I find the source of the instability."

"So you can churn them out and do whatever you bloody well please with all the ones that come after," Aaron remarked.

"If you want to put it that way, yes," he replied archly. "To me, they are simply technology that needs to be perfected but you've always seen them differently. That and you have possession of Golden and the originals. Not only did she help develop them, but their minds are fully formed and developed. Perhaps your combined efforts and a different approach can find what we couldn't."

"You still haven't told me why I should consider helping you, aside from basic human decency," said Aaron.

Sid's response was to pull out a very wordy looking document and slide it over to him. "I know the agreement that you had signed with Smith has been voided, but now the possession of the new synthetics, or animatronics as everybody else knows them to be, is tied up in legal proceedings. A matter of who truly owns the rights to the technology, Smith's company or my own. As one of the third parties involved in the agreement you signed, one or the other can choose to give ultimate control to that party. I am exercising that right."

Aaron picked up the document and started to scan it. "You mean you're giving them to me?"

"Yes. Along with that will be a substantial sum of money to help you revive the original Fazbear name. You can even use the newer premises of the Fun Palace if you wish, since there are facilities already onsite for the examination and servicing of synthetic technology. Once our business is concluded, as far as I'm concerned, you can keep them. They were only prototypes and I'll be creating more improved models from any findings you gather. After that, we can go our separate ways and never have anything to do with one another again."

"I see. And if I don't?" he asked.

Sid arched an eyebrow. "Aaron, you make it sound as if I'm forcing you to sign it. This is entirely your choice. However, I will note that the case between myself and Smith's organisation could go on for quite a long time. Until it's resolved, no one will be able to do anything with them. Not to mention that Freddy Fazbear's was hardly a money-spinner before it went down. You need something to get you started again and until you do, you won't have anywhere to house the original synthetics. Even they need somewhere to stay, don't they?"

Aaron carefully looked over the document. His personal experience had taught him that if something seemed too good to be true, it's probably because it was. He'd had enough of signing every piece of paper some shadowy man in a suit put in front of him recently, especially considering the man in question.

But then there was the man himself to consider. Sid was a man of isolation and independent drive. There was no greater person to rely on beyond himself. If he was asking for help, Aaron knew it must be serious. From what he could tell so far, the agreement seemed to be above board. The quibble itself was concerning the separate franchise and property rights of the characters, which both organisations staked a claim over. Since the original agreement had already returned the Fazbear name back where it came from, it looked like the same was applicable for anything else that had been adopted using those same rights. So legally, the synths would belong to him.

That last sentence really got to Aaron. A reminder that despite how advanced they were, the synthetics were considered closer to property than people. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair but if this was what he had to contend with, at least he could try and make things better for them. He'd done the same for the originals and if these newer ones needed help, he knew Sid wasn't going to be the one to give it to them. It was down to him and the others. Perhaps this could be his first steps toward making things right.

"Fine then." He took the pen offered and signed it. He gripped Sid's hand when they went to shake. "You had better make good on this, Sid. If I get even a whisper that you're trying anything with the band or their counterparts, you'll regret it."

"Aaron, I'm a man of my word," he said. "Of that you can be assured."

* * *

Hello everybody. It's been a long time, hasn't it?

It's fair to say this year has been a tulmutuous one. It's taken its toll on a lot of people, myself included. Life has felt very overwhelming and it stemmed my ability to write.

But this story and these characters still mean a great deal to me, as it still does to a few people. So, I'm going to do my darndest to see it through to the end. I have at least two more instalments planned. I can't promise they'll be quick, but I'm going to do everything I can to finish this.

Thank you to everybody who has been patient and thank you to one ColonelJayWrites. Their recent reviews have been part of what brought me back to this. Let's see how it turns out.

Be strong, be swift, be just.

Alpha.


End file.
